


Barcodes and Swipes

by Besaster



Category: FCW, NXT, Professional Wrestling, WWE, World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: AU, Dean is a NXT star, M/M, More tags will be added as the story goes, Seth got injured when he was twenty-two, Sexual Content, WHO THE HELL IS MOX?, and trains to go back to wrestling, dating apps, now he works at a convenience store
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-29
Updated: 2018-03-19
Packaged: 2019-03-11 01:26:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 20,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13513866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Besaster/pseuds/Besaster
Summary: Seth stared at the screen; he’d almost missed the profile from how quickly he was swiping left.He couldn’t believe his eyes.Mox, thirty years old. No description. He'd seen the guy before; he was an NXT wrestler.AU. Eight years after his career-threatening injury, Seth moved to Tampa to rebuild his dream of being a wrestler and get ready for the NXT tryouts. While working at a convenience store, he receives a Super Like on a dating app that may change his life. Or not.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> What the hell is this? Don't ask me, I've been having weird inspirations and experimenting with different stories. Hopefully getting this out of my mind will help me go back to my baby, ALAWKTT!
> 
> Enjoy!

“No… that’s not the one I always buy, give me the other the one with the blue package. I think it’s that brand; I can’t see from here it’s too high for me.”

Oh boy, Seth wanted to rip all the big toilet paper packs off the top shelf and bury the old lady in them as he tried not to fall off the unsteady stool. Maybe that way she would decide after over ten minutes.

“ _This_ one, Mrs. Holland?” he gritted between his teeth, showing the lady a different brand.

The lady looked at him like she smelled shit, or like he was retarded. “No, not that one. You know what son? I still have a full package at home, will get the toilet paper another day.”

Seth’s lips tightened and his eyes narrowed in a very fake, bleak smile he hoped came across as polite instead of screaming bloody murder.

Working at a neighborhood convenience store didn’t really have any complication, but was annoying as hell. Seth liked that he was mostly left alone, sitting at the cashier area to wait for customers to come and pay their shopping. But there was always the early morning rush, when all the neighborhood elders would come back and drive him crazy.

He wasn’t a patient man, at least not with people.

Being thirty years old and working early morning shifts on a convenience store wasn’t something he wanted to do with his life. 

Seth certainly never expected he would be doing this at his age, but that was the best thing he’d found and it was enough to pay his half of the rent and allowed him to assist the wrestling academy lessons.

Long gone were the times when he was a promising twenty-two-year-old indie darling known as Tyler Black. Back then, the internet buzzed with his appearances in small promotions like Ring Of Honor.

It all disappeared when he suffered a career-threatening knee injury during the first round of tryouts for New Japan Pro Wrestling.

Self-exigent as ever, he over-trained to the point of not giving his body any recovery. In the middle of the tryouts during a wrestling exhibition against a much heavier competitor, his knee had collapsed during one of his trademark transitions and his whole world had gone to hell.

Seth had to ditch his immediate plans to become a star in Japan and instead of spending the following two years traveling around the world and honing his craft, he’d spent them on a knee brace and struggling to pay for the treatments needed to recover.

His family helped him all they could, to the point of getting into debt themselves to help him pay for the surgery, and rehab sessions had come slower and more sporadic than needed, delaying his recovery.

But he’d done it.

When he was younger, he’d always thought that the only obstacle he would find to make his dream a reality was being gay, which he’d hidden from wrestling promoters and fellow colleagues. But life is ironic like that, what brought him down was his body giving up instead.

Struggling with a depression for several years, working three jobs, seven days per week in the Quad Cities so he could stay at his parent’s home and not spend so much money. Living on the most basic expenses and in small shared college student rooms after a few years and with the help of his family, he’d slowly managed to pay his medical bills and slowly recover his knee.

During the early morning rush, as he sighed thinking about the coffee chilling on his desk, and scanned the groceries from a regular customer, he kept telling himself why he was doing this. Seth could hear his phone buzz with a notification under the desk, but he couldn’t check it out yet.

He’d spent the last two years rebuilding his body so he could go back to what he did best, what he yearned.

And finally, four months back and after eight years, his finances had settled enough that he’d decided to make the move to Tampa and enroll in a small yet reputable wrestling school.

Seth managed to find himself a full-time job on a small convenience store in a middle-class neighborhood, a decent room he could afford without too much struggle and was accepted on the academy to condition his body back for wrestling and plan on his comeback.

So he worked six days per week, eight hours per day. And once he was done, he trained and got ready to rebuild his career.

On the weekends, he would also wrestle on small local venues with the promotion, again using his Tyler Black name, but apparently, none of the few fans attending those events remembered him anymore.

He didn’t care about that though, it just felt that good. The thrill and adrenaline rush of being in the ring, the danger of the moves… The love of his life was wrestling and it just felt right to throw himself back into its arms.

There was a purpose on his move to Tampa, and it was getting himself into NXT, WWE’s developmental system, which was basically a star factory and the only way to get his feet into the biggest wrestling company in the world.

He was getting ready for the tryouts at the end of the year, so he still had several months ahead to get ready.

Going back to training had proven that, while losing a step or ten, he could still perform several of his old moves. He just needed to polish them and get rid of the rust.

No matter what anyone told him at the school, he knew he could make it and that NXT would be the place where he would rekindle with his full potential.

Seth had a life motto, he could achieve anything he wanted if he worked hard enough, and he wasn’t going to let go of his dream. He was confident that he was still _that_ good, and that’s what helped him get through everything he had to crawl until he got there.

“Thank you, have a nice day,” he said absently to the customer and took a look around. There were no more customers in the shop at the moment.

He sat down and brought the styrofoam cup to his lips, the coffee was already cold, but he needed the caffeine. His shift had started at 6 am, and he’d been up until 2 am because of a wrestling event he’d worked an hour from Tampa the previous night, so he was mostly running on caffeine and donuts.

Seth also knew if he made himself another, customers would come in again and he would be back to point zero.

So he sipped on his cold coffee and suddenly remembered his phone had buzzed earlier. Pushing the button, the screen lighted up with a Tinder notification. _You’ve got a Super Like!_ , it said.

Seth huffed, curious to see what kind of weirdo it would reveal.

One of the downsides of being so busy all day long is that he barely had a life outside of the small convenience store and wrestling lessons and events. And, oh, well. A man has other vital needs to fulfill, like sex, for example.

He hadn’t told anyone in the wrestling school that he was gay, but he hadn’t denied it either. Nobody had pried though. Sometimes the guys would ask him if he found some girl to fuck already, liked any chick from the audience, or if he had a girlfriend. Questions he could reply with a simple _no_ without going into further explanations.

Nobody seemed to suspect either since he was just like the other guys and had always been.

He’d grown up like any other boy and never felt any attraction toward guys until his teens. One day, being on the wrestling team in high school had shocked him by his body reacting to the contact with other guy’s bodies.

Seth thankfully never had an issue with that, and after a short period of confusion he’d gone on with his life and experimented without any shame and his family's support along the way. So basically he’d been out most of his life, in such a natural way nobody had ever said a thing to him or thought he was different in any way.

Most of the time, people didn't even realize it, there were just no differences between him and any other guy.

He’d kept his childhood friends, who accepted him and just occasionally joked about them in the showers. 

Nor did he ever experience homophobia until he was ready to enroll in a wrestling school for the first time. His coach just advised to keep his mouth closed about it since wrestling was a homophobic world and he had too much potential. 

Seth didn’t have an issue with that either.

What he did have an issue with, however, was the fact that he hadn’t gotten his dick sucked in months. His only company had been his hands and fingers and some occasional anonymous webcam sex to jerk off with another guy and not have to see their faces.

Knowing he was getting desperate, he finally decided to download the Tinder app to try to find some easy, no-strings-attached hookups in the area.

And yes, he scrolled through hundreds of profiles on a daily basis, but he always swept left since the guys who used those apps were obviously the ones that didn’t manage to get laid in real life. Being one of them kind of hurt his ego; he was too hot for them, and he knew it.

Seth had swiped left so many times and had gotten such creepy Super Likes that he tapped on the notification with morbid yet bored curiosity. Just like he was going into a freakshow in a ‘ _let’s see how many limbs this motherfucker lacks_ ’ way.

He sat back on the chair as the app loaded and the first profiles began to pile up. “… fat as fuck, swipe left. Where the hell did you get that nose? Left,” he continued swiping left, scowling at the lack of anything he would remotely agree to have sex with. ”Fuck are there no men or what- Oh my god,” his breath caught in his throat at the next profile that loaded, the Super Like he’d been notified about.

 _S_ eth stared at the screen; he’d almost missed the profile from how quickly he was swiping left.

He couldn’t believe his eyes. 

Mox, thirty years old. No description.

Messy blond curls and a pair of mischievous, incredibly bright blue eyes looked back at him. Pale skin, a crooked thin smile, ginger blond stubble. A gray tank top was showing off a muscled torso and arms and a pair of washed out jeans were all he could see in the picture.

The guy was… attractive as fuck, not the best looking out there but there was something in him that took Seth’s breath away and terrified him as much as it made his pants a bit too tight for comfort. 

He’d seen the guy before. He was a fucking NXT wrestler.

Fuck!

Seth stared at the picture, his finger trembling with excitement as he tapped on it and slid the screen to the side to see the other picture attached to the profile.

There he was, standing in the middle of a ring with his arms open into a cross, wearing black wrestling trunks and an open black leather jacket. Droplets of water glistened on his face and chest, messy blond locks looked darker as they fell wet all over his forehead and eyes.

Shocked and curious beyond words, Seth didn’t swipe right straight away.

He went back and forth between the two pictures, unable to believe his eyes. What the fuck was an NXT wrestler and not any, but the main heel currently feuding for the NXT title doing on Tinder? And with an interest in men? Weren’t they supposed to be private about those things? 

Was this some sort of fucking joke?

He followed NXT and knew him well, so the last thing he could think of would be _Dean fucking Ambrose_ would be on one of those apps and hitting on him. 

For fuck’s sake, he remembered him from his indie wrestling days. While they never met or had a match together, he was the other young indie star everybody talked about back then, when he wrestled under the name Jon Moxley.

Seth stared open-mouthed at the photos, going back and forth between them. He couldn’t process this.

Somebody cleared their throat above him. “Ehem… _hello_?” a pretty, petite short-haired blonde around his age stared at him amused.

Almost falling back from how startled he was, Seth felt his face burn and his heart skip a beat or two as he looked up at the woman. “Oh- huh good morning!” he scrambled to stand up and flash a nervous smile, ignoring the curious, arched eyebrow. “Sorry about that,” he muttered as he gathered her groceries and scanned them. “It’ll be eleven fifty-nine, ma'am.”

Seth blinked at the chirpy, not-too-sure if flirty chuckle. “Thanks, cutie,” she said as she handed him the cash.

Smiling politely, Seth counted the money and wished her a good day.

He was used to customers trying to hit on him anyway, from teenage girls to the oldest women; some men had tried too, but he’d never been interested.

It never surprised him because he was well aware of how good he looked, and took enough care of himself for it to remain that way. It also made him feel slightly better about his lack of sex-life, or a life in general. Being a wrestler and working full-time didn’t make it any easier.

Flopping back on the chair and scratching his beard nervously, Seth unlocked his phone again and stared at the first picture of the Mox guy. He quickly swiped right, feeling some stupid excitement as the screen turned black and the circles indicating he had a match appeared.

He _knew_ that was going to happen because that was the Super Like he got, but still. 

Curiosity was eating at him, he needed to know the guy and ask what the fuck he was doing on Tinder with a seemingly gay profile.

Going into his poor selection of matches, which had been empty until now, Seth swiftly clicked on the message function and wrote a simple greeting.

_Hey there, it’s Ty :)_

Seth closed the app and left his phone on the desk again. He definitely wasn’t expecting a fast reply, and the bread oven was beeping anyway, so he had work to do.

Bread being ready to sell meant things got busy at the store, so it wasn’t until about two hours later that he had a moment to relax and take a look at his phone notifications.

A small smirk stretched his lips when he saw three message alerts from the app. “What do we got here?” he mumbled to himself.

_Hey Ty, I’m Mox_

_How come ur 5km from me and I never saw u? :P_

“I wish I knew, motherfucker,” he groaned, so interested he didn’t realize he was talking out loud.

_Busy?_

Seth clicked on the message box to start typing a reply and found himself feeling somewhat insecure. There was a bit of fear on the back of his mind as he chose his words carefully.

_Yeah, work was busy_

_Wish I knew, nice surprise_

_What r u doing?_

He sent the message and went back to his duties, his mind absent and going back to the wrestler only two hours left before he was finished and could release some pent-up energy in the ring.

Seth rechecked his phone before the shift handover, happy to find new message notifications from Mox.

_Just finished my workout, gonna shower_

_Would be a lot funnier if I had company don’t u think ;)_

With a widening smile Seth could feel crinkling his eyes, he couldn’t help but feel a bit aroused at the suggestion. It looked like Mox didn’t beat around the bush, he liked that. Direct people, no bullshit.

That and the fact that he was desperate enough he would have gone anywhere immediately if the guy just said the words. He decided to be direct as well, but knew that now he would have to stop by home for a moment before heading to the wrestling academy or he would embarrass himself during training.

_You’d like that wouldn’t u_

_Off to workout myself, u just gave me some niiiice shower thoughts for later :P_

Seth wrote back coyly, feeling a rush of confidence wash through him when he hit the _send_ button. He just hoped he wasn’t coming across as the huge nerd he was. His fears were more related to his wrestling career than anything else.

What Seth wanted, he got it. So now he wanted to screw the living shit of this Mox or Dean guy, or get it screwed from him, he didn’t really care. And fuck him if he wasn’t going to get it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I said, I'm experimenting and playing around with different ideas lately, needing to give my mind a break from how stressful and exhausting my ALAWKTT series is to write.  
> This won't be a mammoth story, and I will randomly update it until it's finished.  
> I wanted to write from Seth's POV for a change, it always feels refreshing to me, but I'm still struggling to find his voice, playing around with him to see what can come out.
> 
> Are you surprised by Dean being on Tinder? lol  
> What are your thoughts on this? The only benefit I get out of writing this is my own enjoyment and (hopefully) yours, so please feel free to let me know what you think -comments are open to guests too-! What you liked, what you didn't or hated, what you think will happen or anything you want to share with me.
> 
> You can also drop me a line on Tumblr (Besaster) if you want to, you also may enjoy that I keep posting previews, updates, and random bits on my writing and Ambrollins every now and then in there.  
> Thanks for staying with me, see you VERY soon :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seth sighed and reached into his jean’s pocket to fetch his phone. A cocky smirk set on his lips as he unlocked the screen and tapped on the Tinder app. “You won’t believe the Tinder match I got yesterday,” he said with a snicker.
> 
> Now Xavier looked shocked. “Wait,” he lifted his palm, creating an invisible wall between them with a deadpan face. “Who the fuck are you and what did you do with my ‘I’m too hot for anyone in this fucking planet, and I would die before swiping right on any of those fucktards’ friend?”
> 
> “Shut up! Just look at this,” Seth cackled as he handed Xavier his phone.
> 
> His laughing only got more maniacal at his roommate’s gaping mouth.

“You look like shit, you know? No wonder you’re whining all day about your dick slowly becoming a raisin.”

Seth didn’t need Xavier, his roommate, to state the obvious. What a greeting he got as soon as he crossed the door. With a grimace, he gave him a middle finger, his feet dragging him toward the sofa after dropping his bag on the floor. “Thanks for helping my self-esteem. I can always count on your support for that, dude,” he groaned as he flopped on his stomach on the sofa.

After doing some online research, Seth had contacted Xavier, and both had chatted before he made a firm decision to move to Tampa.

Both had immediately bonded over their love for wrestling and video games, so he'd rented the extra room in his house since he arrived in the city. They got along well as they were easygoing and had so much in common. Xavier would even ask him to teach him some moves randomly, and Seth was always happy to comply.

On the other hand, living with a psychologist helped Seth stay grounded when everything was a bit too much. Coping with his exhausting lifestyle wasn’t always easy and, while being an incredibly determined guy, sometimes he fell straight back on his darker days.

Seth was also thankful for how open-minded and accepting Xavier was, since he never had any issues with his sexuality.

He wasn’t grateful at all for the constant jokes about his lack of sex life though. But other than that, he loved the guy and considered him a close friend in the short space of time they’d known each other.

Seth groaned again when he felt his legs shoved off the cushions and Xavier nudged him to the side to take the spot next to him. Rolling over so he would sit, he scrubbed his face tiredly.

“I’m dead today, dude. I’m averaging four hours of sleep when I’m lucky, and my knee is starting to get stiff during practice,” he admitted, stretching the joint over the coffee table and firmly pressing his thumbs above the bone in a slow massage to relieve the tension.

Xavier gave him an understanding look, handing him a beer. “There, buddy. Why don’t you just go to bed? You can get some sleep tonight. We can watch NXT tomorrow; it’s not like they're removing it from the WWE Network.”

Seth shook his head furiously. “Nah, I wanna watch it. Been dying to see Ambrose vs. Samoa Joe for weeks,” he was a huge Samoa Joe fan and even had the chance to wrestle him in the past, so he wasn’t lying.

“Sometimes, I think your love for wrestling borders on an unhealthy obsession,” Xavier remarked with a dorky grin before going serious. “You could just lie down and wait until tomorrow.”

Fidgeting and with a face that probably resembled a childish frown, Seth shook his head again. “I _really_ wanna watch that match. Ya wouldn’t even believe me if I told you anyway.”

Xavier facepalmed, slumping back on the sofa. “Okay. So what are you dying to tell me?” He knew Seth too well already; there wasn’t much he could hide from his roommate.

Seth sighed and reached into his jean’s pocket to fetch his phone. A cocky smirk set on his lips as he unlocked the screen and tapped on the Tinder app. “You won’t believe the Tinder match I got yesterday,” he said with a snicker.

Now Xavier looked shocked. “Wait,” he lifted his palm, creating an invisible wall between them with a deadpan face. “Who the fuck are you and what did you do with my ‘ _I’m too hot for anyone in this fucking planet, and I would die before swiping right on any of those fucktards_ ’ friend?”

“Shut up! Just look at this,” Seth cackled as he handed Xavier his phone.

His laughing only got more maniacal at his roommate’s gaping mouth.

“What the fuck!?” he yelled, his mouth impossibly wider as he stared at Seth in shock. He clicked on the profile to open the messages and joined Seth on the laughter as he read through them. “Bu-b-b- oh my fucking god,” he was laughing so hard he just couldn’t manage to talk.

It took them a couple of minutes to compose themselves enough to regain their breath. “Holy shit, that’s some aggressive flirting if I’ve ever seen it,” Xavier said wiping a tear from his eye.

Seth huffed. “Ya tell me about it? Dude, yesterday I had to stop by home before training because my dick was gonna explode,” his blood boiled at the memory, but he could still feel another fit of desperate laughter threatening to break him in half.

“Oh my, so you wanna watch NXT so you can beat it like a motherfucker before going to bed?” Xavier took a long sip of his beer, almost choking again on it as he couldn’t keep his chuckles down. “You’re in charge of laundry this week, dude. No way I’m getting anywhere near your sheets.”

Both laughed good-heartedly again, the rumble slowly dying down as the NXT theme music blasted through the tv.

Xavier handed the phone back to Seth, something suspicious flashing on his features. “But Seth, how do you know that’s him for real? It could be someone having the laugh of their life at your expense, you know? Have you ever thought of that option at all?

Seth felt his cheeks burn. Of course he hadn’t. Being horny and fantasizing about the things that Mox, or Dean Ambrose, could do to him had kept him busy enough.

“Okay, so you haven’t even thought of that because you’re desperate as hell,” Xavier should probably just shut the fuck up and not make questions if he already knew the answers. “Don’t look at me like that,” he said holding his palms up. “Someone has to use their brain here after all. Don’t you think this is all a bit weird, buddy?”

Seth glared at him, beginning to consider for the first time that _maybe_  Xavier was right. After all, what did he have as proof? Two pictures on an otherwise empty Tinder profile. He was going to say something, but suddenly the person they were talking about appeared on the screen with a microphone on one hand, and a chair on the other.

Seth’s mouth shut immediately, grudgingly deciding to think about that possibility later.

 

 _‘Every single week I come out here to try to win the NXT championship from Finn Balor. And what happens every single damn week? Samoa Joe has to come out, attack me from behind like the freaking coward that he is, put me on the Coquina Clutch, because that’s the only thing he can do to get me out of the title picture.’_ Dean Ambrose shouted as he stormed toward the ring, all disdain and raw rage as he swung the chair in the air.

Seth sat up straighter on the sofa, his eyes glued to the tv screen. He brought his knees to his chest as he felt the familiar crawling under his skin going straight to his groin, indicating his dick was getting fat. Fuck, that’s how desperate he was, all turned on by a guy on a pair of trunks, dripping water from head to toe and with a fucking chair on his hand as he yelled to another guy.

And what had it taken for him to get to this point? One fucking picture of said guy, who may not even be who he said he was, and a few extremely suggestive Tinder messages.

 _‘So this week I decided to try a different approach and came prepared. Oohh boy damn right I did.’_ Ambrose’s expression was unnerving as his eyes fixed on the camera. Disturbing rage leaked through his words and posture as he grew louder.

 _‘You see, me and my friend Steely are gonna beat the crap out of you today, gonna beat you up so badly you’ll forget what a wrestling ring is. Gonna beat you up so badly you’re gonna lie on the mat begging me to finish your career for good. Gonna break you in such a way that the only word you’ll be able to babble when I shove your teeth down your throat is my name,’_ his face contorted on a pained grimace as he mimicked how Joe would sound like. _‘Dean. And then, once you’re out of the picture for good, I’m gonna get my hands on of Finn Balor so I finally become the new NXT champion.’_

Ambrose launched the mic angrily against the canvas, standing in the middle of the ring with the chair in his hand.

He began to scream for Samoa Joe to come out, erratically hitting the chair against the ropes, the mat, the turnbuckle. A couple of times it even bounced back and hit him in return but he didn’t seem to care.

The crowd at Full Sail University went nuts the moment the unmistakable entrance theme blasted through the air, accompanying the music with chants of ‘ _Joe! Joe! Joe! Joe!_ ’ as Samoa Joe stomped onto the ramp.

Seth marked out at this, some blood still able to reach his brain to root for the Samoan beast. One thing was being horny, and another was forgetting his wrestling principles. Those were higher than his dick on his list, even if he would have to admit to himself than the lines were beginning to blur.

The tense stare-down between the two wrestlers was brutal; the music drowned as the arena filled with ‘ _Joe is gonna kill you_ ’ chants. Ambrose cracked his neck, never letting go of the chair nor breaking his gaze from Joe’s. It wasn’t often that wrestling promotions showcased heel vs. heel feuds, and this one was awesome, with the potential of becoming feud of the year if one of them managed to get their hands on the title.

Seth wasn’t sure if he’d lost his ability to think, but he knew it had been years since he’d been so turned on.

“Dude, you look like you’re gonna hump the tv at any moment,” Xavier’s voice brought him back to reality, sounding equally amused and uncomfortable.

Blinking at him as he squirmed awkwardly, Seth was only able to croak, earning a laugh in response from his friend.

He didn’t have a chance to embarrass himself any further thanks to a notification sound and his phone’s screen showing a new Tinder message from Mox.

Both men stared at it for a moment before Seth rushed to take it and unlock the screen. Further messages appeared when he tapped on the alert.

_Hey Ty_

_Been busy all day_

_What u up to?_

Seth snickered silently, his lips turning into a smirk as he lifted the phone and showed Xavier the messages. His roommate just raised an eyebrow, a lopsided grin twisting his mouth. “Now what?” he inquired.

Tapping on his lips with a finger, Seth used his other hand to type a quick reply. He half-heartedly elbowed Xavier away as he leaned closer to see what he wrote.

_Actually it’s got to do with u_

_Well more like watching NXT what a sick promo on Joe_

Not expecting an immediate reply, both guys directed their attention back to the show.

 

Samoa Joe had run into the ring, promptly met by two chair shots from Ambrose. As the monster heel in the feud, he didn’t sell them, grasping the chair at the third attempt and ripping it from Dean’s hands.

Before he could use it to return the favor, William Regal’s music interrupted the segment, and the Englishman stepped out. At the same time, Seth’s phone chirped again with a new message alert.

This time it was Xavier who checked it since Seth’s eyes were glued to the screen.

‘ _Gentlemen, I take it both of you want a chance against Finn Balor for the NXT championship_ ,’ he began with a dangerous scowl. ‘ _But you won’t decide it like this. That’s not how we do things in NXT. So we will settle this in the ring. I’m sure the NXT Universe will be delighted to know that tonight, on the main event, we’ll have Dean Ambrose versus Samoa Joe fighting to be the number one contender for the NXT championship,_ ’ the crowd erupted on ‘ _Yes_ ’ chants while Joe and Dean glared at the general manager.

‘ _The winner,_ ’ he paused for effect, tilting his chin down as his lips curled into a smirk. ‘ _The winner- will face Finn Balor next month at the main event in NXT Takeover Orlando for the NXT title._ ’

The chants got louder as Regal’s music hit again and the show went to commercials.

Seth was so immersed in the show that it took him a while to notice Xavier’s low chuckle. “Da fuck, Woods?” he muttered, snatching the phone away from his friend’s hands to read the string of both incoming _and_ outgoing messages.

_Haha wait u know who I am?_

_Didn’t take u for a wrestling fan_

_U liked what u saw or what_

Xavier had gone on replying on his behalf, the fucker. But to his credit, he didn’t type anything Seth wouldn’t have done himself.

_Didn’t u read my profile or what dude_

_Course I am_

_You’d be surprised if I told u_

_Fuck did that chair look good in ur hands_

_Wonder what else u can use them for :P_

Wait, was Regal’s promo _that_ long? No, a quick look at the receiving times proved they’d just been messaging quickly.

_These hands should probably be insured Ty_

_I got a couple more things worth their weight in fucking gold_

_Bet u’d love to see what they can do to u_

_Wouldn’t mind showing you but now I’m curious if ur a big fan of me or of what I could do to you_

Seth cackled at Xavier’s response, his roommate knew him well indeed. It didn't make him any less self-conscious though.

_I think I need a taste so I can judge_

_But it’s Joe I’m rooting for out there, sorry to screw your ego_

“You fucker,” he gasped for air between chuckles. “Get out of my fuckin’ mind,” he teased as he shoved Xavier away.

The psychologist was the perfect picture of innocence. “I’m just helping a friend out; you’re gonna drive me insane if you don’t get laid soon, man.”

_I think I’m more interested in screwing u instead haha_

_You’d like that wouldn’t u_

There was a final reply typed by Xavier, which hadn’t gotten a response yet. Seth gulped as he stared at it, torn between running into his room to relieve himself and freezing at the bold reply.

_If I knew for sure u r who u say u r yeah_

_Can u prove it?_

Seth felt unable to tear his eyes from the screen, growing anxious as no further messages appeared on the feed. He didn’t need to look up to see the sarcasm and the ‘ _I told you so_ ’ that was surely written in neon letters on Xavier’s face.

“Just don’t want you to waste your time, man. This has to be a joke, and you were probably the easiest one to hit it on, judging by the other profiles.”

Annoyed but determined not to give in and admit Xavier _may_ be right, Seth shot his roommate a defiant glare. He opened his mouth to spit a retort, but decided not to say anything as the NXT music theme signaled the show was coming back from commercials.

Both men continued watching the show in silence, Seth as hot and bothered as before with the addition of angry as fuck, until his phone lit up with a new notification at the same time the announcer called for the main event.

He rushed to tap on it, impatient at how long it took the app to load and show him what he wanted to see.

_Sassy as fuck are u?_

_I like that_

_Come to the live show in Tampa this Saturday_

_That good enough for u?_

It took all of Seth’s willpower not to respond immediately. He may be desperate, but his pride came first, even in such a situation. If it was somebody randomly making fun of him, he wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of showing how much he wanted to have a go at the guy.

And if it was really Dean Ambrose messaging him, he would make him wait. No matter how out of practice he was, Seth fucking Rollins knew how to play the game. And fuck him if he wasn’t going to drive the guy as crazy as he was driving him with his messages.

He didn’t reply until the NXT episode was over. Seth felt incredibly cocky when Samoa Joe got his hand raised at the end of the match, while Ambrose stared at the lights in defeat.

Xavier's laughter followed him as he dragged himself to his bedroom a few minutes later, once they were done talking about the show. Seth was tired and his dick hurt, and he had to do something about both.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW. I have no words to express my shock and delight at the response to this fic by you guys. I never thought you'd enjoy it so much and didn't expect the love this is getting! *hearts*  
> For me, it's incredibly fun and refreshing to write this and move away from the slow burn angst from 'Our Story (Whatever It Was)' and the ALAWKTT series. BTW, I posted chapter 14 of OSWIW last night in case you haven't seen it yet and want to take a look!
> 
> Things are starting to twist here in B&S, are Xavier's suspicions legitimate? Has Seth lost his mind? Or is he being unfairly paranoid? Will he go to the NXT live event and face Dean? Whatever is going on, at least he seems to be having some fun in the meantime lol.
> 
> What are your thoughts on this? The only benefit I get out of writing this is my own enjoyment and (hopefully) yours, so please feel free to let me know what you think -comments are open to guests too-! What you liked, what you didn't or hated, what you think will happen or anything you want to share with me. I LOVE talking to you!  
> Remember you can also drop me a line on Tumblr (Besaster) if you want to and that I keep posting previews, updates, and little random bits on the process of writing my Ambrollins stories, which I hope you enjoy as much as I love writing them.  
> Thanks for staying with me, see you VERY soon :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The lady groaned at him. “Did you fight with your girlfriend or something, Seth?” she pried without a hint of shame. “Did she dump you, dear? I’ve never seen you like this before. I’m sure you were too cute for her anyway,” the seventy-something-year-old woman leered at him.
> 
> Seth didn’t know which stars he had to thank for it, but he was able to bite his tongue and just glare at the woman. It wasn’t out of being polite or respecting old people. Nope. What made him manage to hold himself from losing his job? A series of quick flashes of what he’d gone through for the last eight years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I have some comments pending to reply to, I will try to go through them tomorrow! Please bear with me, life is being a chaos and I'm trying my best!

_I knew u were too hot to be real where did u steal those pics_

_So whats it u a creepy old dude right_

_A motherfuckin high school kid laughing at me?_

_One of those fat greasy dudes who wanna jerkoff via text_

_You so fuckin ugly u had to use some fitness model pics to get some attention or what u think it’s funny_

_Or you a whore is that it? You won’t meet me unless I pay u?_

_U said u work mornings n suddenly u work the night I tell u to meet?_

_What the fuck_

_Now u don’t reply do u? U gonna cancel the match cause I caught u?_

Seth’s eye twitched at the string of messages he’d received during the morning rush hour at the convenience store.

Mox hadn’t messaged him since Wednesday night after he watched the NXT episode. He was fucking dying to go to the NXT live event, he’d wanted to go for months, but Saturday was the day Seth was booked to wrestle this week.

He couldn’t afford to say no to the two hundred bucks he was going to be paid, nor could he close any doors for himself. So no matter how tired he was or how early he would have to wake up the next morning, he always said _yes_ when he was offered to work a show.

Xavier had a good point the other night, but Seth was convinced his roommate was wrong, that he was talking to Dean Ambrose for real. He would have loved to assist to the event and face him, but he had to say no.

The reply he got to it was a short _Ok_ , and he hadn’t received any more messages from Mox since then.

Now, Friday and while at work he’d gotten those demented messages. “Da fuck-” he cursed a bit too loud, realizing one of his regular customers staring at him in shock from the frozen foods section. “Emm- Sorry! Sorry Mrs. Johnson!” he apologized nervously, raising his hands in defeat.

Seth looked down at his phone. He couldn’t believe his eyes, didn’t know how to react or what to say back. The thought of unmatching Mox on the Tinder app crossed his mind.

Still, Seth didn’t want to do that while there was the slightest hope that it could be Dean Ambrose behind the profile.

Nothing made any fucking sense anymore. Okay, so it didn't make any sense from the start, but at this point he didn’t give a shit. He was seething, considering how to tell the asshole to basically go fuck himself.

_What the fuck is wrong with u?_

_U know normal people say ok u can’t meet on Sat then when can u?_

_Or do u wanna meet for starters_

_Shit like that ffs_

_So they meet another day and fuck each other’s brains and shit u know_

_I could say the same to u it’s not me who’s a fuckin famous wrestler_

_U piece of shit I’m NOT a fuckin whore and I DO work on Saturday night so fuck u_

He promptly blocked his phone’s screen when the customer approached the cashier, proceeding to furiously scan her groceries.

The lady groaned at him. “Did you fight with your girlfriend or something, Seth?” she pried without a hint of shame. “Did she dump you, dear? I’ve never seen you like this before. I’m sure you were too cute for her anyway,” the seventy-something-year-old woman leered at him.

Seth didn’t know which stars he had to thank for it, but he was able to bite his tongue and just glare at the woman. It wasn’t out of being polite or respecting old people. Nope. What made him manage to hold himself from losing his job? A series of quick flashes of what he’d gone through for the last eight years.

The old motherfucker was lucky he didn’t work at a food establishment, otherwise… “It’s eight dollars and forty-six, Mrs. Johnson,” he gritted through his teeth.

He heard his phone vibrating on the desk as he handed the change to the woman. “See, boy? She couldn’t let go of that sweet butt of yours, I wouldn’t either,” a shudder ran through Seth’s body as the bold lady wiggled her eyebrows suggestively before she left the store. “Ahhh, if I was twenty years younger-” Mrs Johnson sighed dreamily as she turned around.

Seth stood there, unable to even mutter a _thanks_ , wondering what else could happen today for him to lose his mind. Surely the day couldn’t take a turn for the worse. Oh, fuck, he jinxed it. Could it?

 

His fingers twitched as he unlocked his phone’s screen. But the messages he’d received weren’t from Mox; the notifications had Xavier’s name on them.

_Holy shit Seth I’m starting to worry about you_

_You didn’t close ur browser properly last night and OMG_

_Cyberfights? Hotgymdudesatit? Chatroulette? Chokemesoftly? 5 YouTube tags with Jon Moxley videos and 2 with ur matches? You get off on watching urself wrestle dude?_

_OMFG I can’t unsee that I’m traumatized_

_As a psychologist I’m worried about you and as your friend I’m worried about me WTF ur bedroom stinks_

_You need to fucking get laid wtf is wrong with you_

Seth hit his forehead against the desk, burying his head under his arms. Like that was going to save him the embarrassment when he went back home. Or go back in time to not save the tabs on Chrome. Maybe life was giving him some signal, but the motherfucking universe could be a bit more direct and clear about it.

_Dude wtf are u doin with my laptop_

_GTFO my room n stop gossiping_

_And yeah I’m so good I get hard watching my matches u happy now?_

For starters, why couldn’t his roommate respect his privacy? Weren’t his misery and lack of a sex life enough entertainment for Xavier? It wasn’t like he craved those websites, but a guy has to do what a guy has to do at the end of the day.

_Forgot my charger at the clinic and had some work to do_

_Never again next time I drive back there I can’t unsee those Cyberfights videos OMG ffs Seth you were on that video ffs OMFG_

_Lower your standards or something, get drunk or turn the lights off so you don’t see the guy_

_I just can’t OMFG I keep seeing those things in my mind I need a therapist myself_

Seth groaned and dropped his phone on the desk. He knew Xavier well enough to know he was having the time of his life, probably rolling around on the floor with a stream of tears falling down his face. All while being legitimately shocked, that for sure.

Shame was consuming him already to the point he didn’t even know how to retort back. Seth _fucking_ Rollins, the guy who never shut up, was out of words. He didn’t want to let Xavier win this one, but what else could he do?

It wasn’t like he was proud of going into the _Chokemesoftly_ kinky porn website. He wasn’t even into such a thing. He was just bored of the same old porn.

Another vibration from his phone made him hit the table with his fist. “Dude don’t you have enough?!” he yelled at the screen, shutting up immediately when he realized it wasn’t another string of messages from Xavier.

There were two Tinder message notifications.

The app took its sweet time to load, and when it did, he rushed to go into the messages slide and tapped on Mox’s name. Fuck Xavier, he’d try to think of a good comeback later.

_U gonna tell me the truth?_

_What u doing tomorrow night_

Shrinking on his chair, Seth contemplated telling Mox, or Dean, or whoever the fuck was taking the piss at him to go to hell. He was also considering being honest. But then, he remembered he had nothing to hide, he’d been honest from the get-go.

And being honest, he almost didn’t even care who was messaging him. If it wasn’t Ambrose, the guy had done an excellent job making him lose his mind. Maybe he could make an exception for once and have a go at him if he looked remotely human after all.

A cocky smirk crept to Seth’s lips. He slowly typed his response, his free hand scratching his beard as he thought he seriously needed a trim, at least that was something he could control. Whatever happened from now on, he didn’t give a shit. He was exposing himself fully by doing this, but he felt there was nothing left to lose anymore.

_Ever heard the name Tyler Black?_

Seth was thinking of what else to say, should he leave a little hint of what he was talking about? He briefly considered adding another picture to his profile on his wrestling trunks to remove it as soon as he got a reaction from Mox.

But the impatient beep coming from the bread oven had other plans, it decided for him. The conversation was over for the moment. Who would have thought a fucking oven could suddenly be smarter than him? Live to see.

 

 

The store had gotten so busy that by the time there was no more warm bread he was barely an hour away from finishing his shift. It was time to check the shelves and fridges and see which stock needed to be replenished.

Seth stretched his knee carefully before he rose to his feet, glad that at least something was going well.

On Thursday morning the joint had been swollen, and he’d limped slightly, to Xavier’s never-ending amusement. There was some concern as well from his friend, but Seth could see the mirthful jokes in his eyes anyway.

That and the messages bombarding his phone all day long, taunting him about what he’d been doing in his bedroom after the NXT show to end up like that the next morning. That’s what good friends are for. To worry about you while making fun of your disgrace.

He’d ended up skipping his workout and training to give his knee some rest, afraid something like the NJPW tryouts would end up repeating itself.

Seth thought it was enough of a disgrace that somebody like him couldn’t even land himself a good fuck every now and then. Thankfully, his mind reminded him something as he filled up the shelves as needed. What would be truly life-shattering would be fucking up his last chance at wrestling.

The task was easy and usually went by quickly. He knew that before he could have a chance to notice, Sami’s enthusiast greeting would screech on his ears like he did every single day.

Only the shift handover would then separate him from his late lunch and a walk to the wrestling school. But first he had to finish with the shelves, and his eccentric coworker had to arrive.

The convenience store had been quiet for a while and Seth’s mood started to lift, he even hummed a song under his breath as he stood on the stool and filled the empty spots at the top shelf with packs of kitchen rolls. He just had to hang on for a bit longer, and then he would be done.

Seth almost lost his balance when a high pitched, chirpy female voice startled him out of his thoughts. “Heyyy, Seth?”

He turned around to force a smile down to one of their regular customers, waving awkwardly with a big pack of kitchen rolls on each hand. It was that petite blond woman he was never sure if she was flirting with him, or if she was just that bubbly.

The chick’s face seemed to split in two from the wide grin she was flashing. “Did you guys run out of hazelnut milk? Sami told me to ask when it’s empty since you usually have more at the b-”

“You think ya got enough room for this in the freezer, Renee? I don’t think I can eat everything tonight,” a very masculine, raspy voice interrupted the woman and Seth suddenly dropped the kitchen rolls to the floor. He would have fallen with them if it wasn’t for the shelves against his back.

“Da fuck-” he mumbled under his breath.

It was unmistakable. Jeans, a pair of black boots, a tee shirt, and a leather jacket. A beanie covering most of his ginger blond curls, a massive bag of frozen potato fries on each hand, and looking very different from what he saw on tv every week, but still him.

Seth stared in horror at none other than ‘Mox’, Dean Ambrose.

What the fuck was he doing at the store? Was he also a regular customer? He’d never seen him before; he would _know_ if he had. Seth could feel his jaw drop. He was thankful he lived in the real world and wasn’t part of a cartoon, otherwise, it would reach the floor.

And make a hole in it and appear in China, or wherever the fuck was located at the other end of the planet.

A chuckle made him stiffen immediately. “Seth? You okay hun?” the chick — Renee was it? — sounded amused. He didn’t know if she actually looked like that as well, he was too busy staring at Ambrose and trying not to hyperventilate.

On the other hand, Mox, Dean, gave Seth a weird look before he looked at Renee and snorted. “The kid looks like he saw a ghost,” he seemed to be trying to bite back a chuckle, his attention directed to her.

“Dean! Don’t make fun of him, babe!” Seth heard a plastic rustle and felt his arms poked with the items that had fallen off his hands.

He slowly looked down and blinked at Renee, who beamed at him. “There,” she was smiling from ear to ear. “I didn’t know you liked wrestling! You’re a fan of Dean, aren’t you?”

Seth gulped, wishing he was invisible since he was sure his tan wouldn’t cover the redness in his face. This certainly wasn't how he’d imagined meeting Mox. Or Dean Ambrose. He glanced at the NXT wrestler again, just to see him turn around and walk toward the cashier.

“No, I’m not his fan,” Seth croaked, glaring at Dean’s back. “I’m happy Samoa Joe beat the shit outta him.”

Ambrose turned around, flashing him a smirk that did _not_ send all of Seth’s blood to his groin. “Only sore losers root for Joe,” he taunted before looking away again.

“Fuck you,” Seth blurted before he could even think of it.

For a brief moment, Dean’s bright blue eyes stared back at him in bewilderment, and then he laughed. Hard. And it didn’t make Seth feel any better; it just made him hornier. “Holy shit, some people take wrestling too seriously,” he cackled and took the few steps separating him from the cashier, placing the bags of fries on the counter.

The store was silent for a few tense seconds until Renee got Seth’s attention. “Eh- Seth? About the hazelnut mi-”

“We don’t have any,” he muttered as he jumped off the stool and stomped his way to the cashier.

Renee flinched but said nothing, just walked toward the milk aisle with a shocked look on her face.

Seth stood behind the cashier, his narrowed eyes fixed on Ambrose. “Da fuck?” he hissed at the other wrestler. “Seriously, _Mox_?”

Dean appeared puzzled. His head tilted slightly to the side and he examined Seth from head to waist, his blond eyebrows furrowing closer. That’s what was visible of him anyway behind the counter. “Duude, da fuck is wrong with you, _Seth_?” he mimicked Seth’s tone, clearly annoyed.

Feeling at a loss of words, Seth averted his eyes for a moment, catching a glimpse of the poster for his own match that Saturday displayed at the store’s door. He said the first thing that came to his mind. “Ever heard the name Tyler Black?”

That seemed to confuse Dean even further. Wide blue eyes blinked at Seth repeatedly, and the wrestler didn’t even notice Renee appearing at his side and placing a carton of cashew milk on the counter. “Actually,” he was obviously giving it some thought until a charming grin curled the corners of his lips upward. “I’ve heard that name somewhere. Is that the singer of a rock band or something?”

Again, Renee’s excited squeal interrupted their tense stare as she pointed toward the door. “Oh my god, Dean!! Look at that, Seth is a wrestler too!”

Her words seemed to catch Dean’s attention. He approached the door and stared at the poster, turning toward Seth, then to the hanging picture once again. His wolfish grin hotter than it had any right to be and Seth knew he was fucked, and not in the way he wanted.

“Those trunks look good on ya, _Tyler_ ,” he teased, going back to the cashier and looming over the counter. “Pity I gotta wrestle tomorrow night, or else-” he rasped as he leered at Seth, blatantly mocking him.

Seth gasped and thought he would collapse right there, planting his hands on the desk under the counter as he leaned forward slightly. He licked his lips and looked down, trying to remember he was at work.

Thankfully, Renee saved the day. “Dean!” She scolded Ambrose but was unable to hold back a giggle. “Stop making fun of poor Seth. Maybe you guys can hang out and wrestle or something?” she offered.

“Or something,” Seth hissed as he scanned their groceries, too embarrassed and angry to dare to look up at the couple in front of his eyes. “It’s nine dollars and twenty,” he sighed in defeat, putting the items into two plastic bags.

He flinched away when he took the cash from Dean and their hands brushed for a short instant. Was Seth so desperate he felt a tiny electric shot through his body at the brief contact?

Dean chuckled softly, but Seth didn’t dare look up at him. “Or something,” he said cockily as Renee mumbled a farewell and both left.

The moment they made it out of the door, he heard a little smack and a chuckle. “What was that, Dean?” Renee sounded a mix of mischievous and shocked. “Now he must think we’re a couple. He looked jealous, didn’t know he was into me.”

The voices grew distant, but Seth heard a snort and the words that followed it. “I have a feeling it’s not you that he’s into, babe,” Dean mocked her, and that was the last thing he heard.

“Da f-” Seth dropped his weight on the chair. He was confused as fuck. What the hell did just happen?

His eyes caught his phone, and he shakily pushed the button. He had ten message notifications, but none from Tinder or Mox.

Ignoring the alerts, he tapped on the app and typed a furious message to Mox.

_Seriously dude_

_Da fuck was that?_

Seth felt his energy deflate as he stared at his latest messages for a while. He wasn’t expecting a reply, not anymore.

This wasn’t how he imagined his first contact with Mox, or Dean. Feeling like a joke everybody but him laughed at, a new message finally appeared before his eyes at the same time Sami crossed the door.

_Those trunks look good on u Ty_

_Wait_

_Shit_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so WTF is going on? I'm sorry, I'm sorry!! *dodges the angry mob coming to kill her* I know everybody was expecting Seth to go to the NXT event, but it wouldn't be me if things didn't get twisted. If you know me, you know I'm a heel writer.  
> Is Dean playing Seth? Is somebody else playing with Seth? What that some aggressive mock flirting? Will Xavier ever stop making fun of Seth? Renee thought Seth was into her? Ohh, so many questions left open, it almost felt like a cliffhanger to me lol. Let's see what chapter 4 brings!
> 
> What are your thoughts on this? The only benefit I get out of writing this is my own enjoyment and (hopefully) yours, so please feel free to let me know what you think -comments are open to guests too-! What you liked, what you didn't or hated, what you think will happen or anything you want to share with me.  
> Remember you can also drop me a line on Tumblr (Besaster) if you want to and that I keep posting previews, updates, little random bits on the process of writing my stories, and more.  
> Thanks for staying with me, see you VERY soon :)


	4. Chapter 4. Valentine's Special [ Part 1 ]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maybe installing the app hadn’t been a good idea to start with, but if he’d resorted to it was because he’d run out of options. There was no point in denying that he felt lonely, neglected, and actually sought a sort of warmth that regular friends couldn’t provide.
> 
> Being honest, it was mostly the feel of lips sucking erratic patterns on his skin that he craved. The tentative pressure of a hand spreading on his stomach as another body pressed closer to his; whoever was balls deep inside him panting against his temple, muffling the loud smacks of flesh frantically hitting flesh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who the hell is Mox? Will this chapter finally reveal who's behind the Tinder profile? Keep reading to discover! Or not.
> 
> Enjoy!

_Shit what?_

_Da fuck was THAT_

_U don’t say more?_

_Did I finally catch the joke or caught something else u were hiding_

_U piece of shit fuck u_

A day later, waiting to be called for his match with Brodie Lee, Seth still had no clue regarding what the fuck was going on.

Once he finished warming up, he stared at the latest messages he sent Mox on Friday, just after Dean Ambrose left the convenience store.

He’d done it countless times since he hit the 'Send' button.

Seth's annoyance just escalated every single time. No matter how often he tapped on the app to check for new messages, no further conversation bubbles materialized before his eyes.

The thought of unmatching Mox got stronger with every passing moment. Even Xavier had advised him to do it and move on, directly uninstall Tinder from his phone and try to meet people in the real world.

Maybe installing the app hadn’t been a good idea to start with, but if he’d resorted to it was because he’d run out of options. There was no point in denying that he felt lonely, neglected, and actually sought a sort of warmth that regular friends couldn’t provide.

Being honest, it was mostly the feel of lips sucking erratic patterns on his skin that he craved. The tentative pressure of a hand spreading on his stomach as another body pressed closer to his; whoever was balls deep inside him panting against his temple, muffling the loud smacks of flesh frantically hitting flesh.

Oh god, did it turn him on feeling the slight tingling burn on his ass after a good hard fuck; listening to the shameless — sometimes shameful — mix of moans and curses filling a room when they were too far gone to care.

Seth missed the heat and fumbling of two bodies grinding against each other; those lazy morning fucks that ended being a bomb that left him wearing a dumb grin the whole day. Not to talk about when it was him buried to the tilt into somebody’s ass.

He also yearned for the intimacy, the playfulness of it when there were chemistry and some degree of trust with the other guy.

At this point, Seth wasn’t even opposed to going steady with a guy if he liked him enough. It had been years since he dated anyone for more than no-strings-attached sex after all. He would have to be discreet if he wanted to make it into NXT; but other than that, he was open to such a possibility.

Looking at the bright side, if he ever found a partner in Tampa, this time he wouldn’t even _need_ to cheat on them. The place had already proved not to have any meat for him to sink his teeth on.

 

While still a motherfucking jerk with no respect for other people’s privacy, Xavier was also a responsible psychologist and a good friend.

On Friday night, he sat down with Seth and a bunch of beers. During a serious talk, Xavier voiced his worries about how this Tinder thing with the alleged Mox had gone beyond what he considered healthy. Apparently, Seth was feeling insecure and projected all his fears and self-esteem issues on the outcome of a non-existent, hypothetical Tinder crush. All because it was easier to do that than taking a good look at himself and deal with them.

To put it simply, Xavier said he was a damn coward. According to him, Seth was unable to get over what he’d gone through in the past. So he pushed the guilt aside for being an asshole in his past relationships, and for not listening to his body before his injury to become a victim.

He also said that the root of it was something entirely different; his career expectations were getting the worst of him.

Xavier believed Seth was terrified about the upcoming NXT tryouts since they could signify the realization that wrestling wasn’t what he was meant to do with his life. What would he do if they confirmed he wasn't as good as he used to be and would never get to that level again?

He wasn’t ready to experience his dreams disintegrating, and that possibility was dominating his life.

So apparently, he’d focused all his anxieties on something silly and manageable he could blame on somebody else but himself. Thank you very fucking much for your support, dear friend. What a fucked up way to lift somebody’s spirits!

The only good thing that came out of it was around forty minutes free of jokes about Seth’s nonexistent sex life. See? There was nothing to worry about other than his dick; he was as optimistic as they come.

What both agreed on though, was that he was just angry about the Tinder situation. Furious to no end wouldn’t even begin to describe it. And he was entitled to it.

Seth felt played, humiliated, confused as fuck. Nothing made sense, yet he couldn’t bring himself to cancel the match, he needed to be entirely sure that it wasn’t Dean Ambrose. He’d spent too much time and energy imagining the things Mox would do to him, so some gratification in return was just a matter of manners.

Curiosity was eating him alive. Was the NXT wrestler behind the Mox Tinder account or not?

 _If_ that was the case, he was either too different from his photos in person, the other wrestler too dumb, or Ambrose already knew he worked at the convenience store beforehand and was playing with him. That would explain the meeting not appearing to be a surprise to him in contrast to Seth's utter shock.

Either that or the asshole was a good actor. 

He had somehow flirted with him though. Being realistic, half of it was patronizing. But that still counted as flirting, didn’t it? Why would have Dean looked at him like that if he was just some regular straight dude?

The way he’d said that the trunks looked good at him, with precisely the same words written on the app afterward.

And holy shit, that coy smirk when Renee suggested they hung out _or_ _something_. What the fuck did ‘ _or something_ ’ mean? Did it imply Ambrose fucking his brains out? Please, it _had_ to. Why the hell was he thinking in italics anyway?

A shiver ran down his spine and tingled on his inner thighs at the memory. To Seth’s dismay, his phone vibrated and a new message appeared in front of his eyes, immediately followed by another.

_Don’t be sour Ty :P Would been a nice Valentines if u been here tonight_

_Hope ur match is half as good as mine_

“No-no-no-no-no-no,” Seth locked his phone screen and tossed it into his bag with a sneer. Not now. He was minutes away to be called and needed to tear his mind away from Mox. Couldn’t the fucker choose a better moment to decide to finally reply? And how did he dare go with something fully unrelated to what he’d said a day ago?

He took several deep breaths and stared down at his lap, silently begging for his dick to calm the fuck down. There was no way Seth was going to pay any further attention to Mox today. He had an important performance ahead of him, and a small crowd to woo with his talent.

 

What a way to spend Valentine’s day.

Seth had already jerked off twice today, and didn’t have the time nor was he in the mood to go for a third one. The only thing that made sense was that he was losing his damn mind. Maybe somebody was purposely trying to drive him nuts.

He wasn’t a sap who wanted love, gifts, and all that shit. After all, the day was created with the sole aim to spike up mall sales after how difficult January always was in that regard.

Still, the romantic theme at the store, the sickeningly happy couples in love taking over the streets, and the knowledge that he would be one of the few people not getting laid that night annoyed the fuck out of him.

Seth was mature enough to admit, to himself only at least, that he was too shallow. He knew deep down he deserved what he was going through. Sexually speaking of course, nor the shit with his knee and the agonizing years behind him. Nobody deserved that.

It didn’t make him feel any less of a victim to a cruel joke though; like he wasn’t worthy of any attention. He was too hot for that.

After everything he’d gone through the last eight years; the hard work, the severe depression, and helplessness as he could do nothing but wait for his knee to recover… He felt like life would never give him a break in any sense. A little reward was all he was hoping for; it.

Seth didn’t need love; he just wanted a blowjob and a nice dick up his ass. Was he _really_ asking for that much?

The universe seemed to think so. It provided him with an unusually busy day at the store, and more erections out of nowhere than when he was sixteen years old.

 

It still didn’t explain what happened on Friday with Dean Ambrose. Did he know who Seth was and tried to take some sort of twisted revenge on him not going to the NXT event? If he wasn’t dating that Renee chick, why did he _imply_ that they were?

Were they fuck buddies then? That would explain why he seemed to be so familiar with her freezer.

Seth had to draw a line there. He’d been outsmarted by an oven before, but he wouldn’t under any circumstances allow himself to be jealous of a fucking freezer now. That was just too much. He was okay with being jealous of another human though. He was also human after all.

Was it all just a sick coincidence? Perhaps the guy had no clue that somebody was using his face and his old in-ring name on a dating app. Then why did he flirt with Seth, and so aggressively? Did he just feel his desperation and decided to taunt him for his amusement?

The different possibilities blew his mind; he didn’t know what to believe anymore.

All Seth knew was that he was losing his mind. And that he wanted Dean Ambrose in his bed; whether he was Mox or not. Even when his initial resolve was more than crumbling at the moment, and those last messages didn’t help in the least.

 

Seth’s match against Brodie Lee was the last in the card, it started quite late, around eleven. Brodie was the current FCW Heavyweight champion, and Tyler Black was tonight’s contender.

He’d been booked to lose the match but still give a great show. Even with his knee still feeling sore and wobbly, Seth put all his effort and energy on giving the best possible performance.

When he was in the ring, everything else left his mind, and he just flowed into the moves. The fact that Brodie was an incredible wrestler also helped. The guy was big; you would never expect him to be so agile and move around the ring almost like a cruiserweight. 

The clash of their styles opened up multiple possibilities, and he enjoyed the opportunity to shine against him; in return making the champion look like a million bucks.

Both kept the few fans watching at the edge of their seats for around twenty minutes. FCW was a small promotion so it was rare to get a big crowd for those events, but it was clear that the NXT live event in the city had taken a toll as well.

It happened every time they did a show in Tampa, and not even starting later to try to catch some fans after the NXT show ended did much for the attendance numbers.

Seth felt it was quite a shame that just a few lucky folks were able to witness such a good match. He hoped Xavier taped it with on his phone as promised; it was the least he could do after the never-ending amount of amusement Seth’s misadventures brought into his life. 

Sami also attended the show and said he would take some pictures.

Seth wanted as much testimony of his skills as possible for the NXT tryouts at the end of the year. Any buzz he could create online around his figure was a good one.

Brodie was an indie darling, and his matches were frequently posted on Reddit, so that would give Seth some exposure to the world. More often than anyone would think, wrestlers were scouted from those videos by bigger promotions.

Once the match was over and Brodie left the ring to celebrate his victory with the fans, Seth finally sat up on the mat to make his way out. 

He felt great after the match. A little grin curled his lips as he took a quick look at the scarce fans, some already leaving but others still commenting the show over a beer.

Spotting Xavier and Sami was easy. Seth’s stomach did a backflip, almost legitimately passing out when he realized they weren’t alone. He knew who the people around them were.

Sami was having an animated conversation, gesticulating wildly as he spoke with the Renee chick — why did she always seem to be everywhere, by the way? —, and Kevin Owens, one of the new NXT signees. He knew him very well from his Ring of Honor days, when he wrestled under the name Kevin Steen. Both had a vicious feud nine years ago that catapulted them to the internet wrestling community fame.

Mere feet away from them, Big E, Colin Cassady a.k.a. ‘Big Cass’, and _motherfucking_ Dean Ambrose, or Mox — or maybe not Mox but who fucking knew at that point? —, were almost in tears at something Xavier was telling.

“Oh god-” Seth squeaked under his breath as he felt his cheeks burn from way more than just the physical effort. “Ya better not be talking about me you asshole.”

 

Seth usually hung with the fans for a while after a performance, but today he just felt like rushing to the back, shower and run away with his tail between his legs. 

What the fuck was going on? Why were those NXT wrestlers there of all nights? He didn’t get why Ambrose had decided to come from the NXT show to see him wrestle all of a sudden.

He slowly rolled out of the ring, hoping nobody would pay any attention to him. Like fucking hell he was gonna be so lucky. Seth cringed when he heard Sami calling him out and felt a hand on his arm.

”Seth! Where you goin’ dude?” his coworker and friend beamed when Seth turned around, ignoring his terrified glance. “What a match! We were talking about it, such a nice Canadian connection we got going down here,” he said pointing at Owens and Renee.

Kevin pointed at him, disbelief and amusement showing on his face. “Tyler! Maaaaan- I thought I’d never see this again,” he shouted as he approached Seth and enveloped him in a friendly hug. “How you doin’, dude? What a match, you still got it!”

Seth relaxed for a moment, enjoying the praise from an old friend he hadn’t spoken to in over six years. “Thanks, man, it’s been a while! Ya doing better than me for sure,” he said with a chuckle. “Couldn’t believe it when I saw you in NXT, I’m so happy for you. But y’know, I’m doing the tryouts at the end of the year, you ready to feud again or what?”

Kevin laughed and hit his arm without any strength. “Damn right I am, gonna beat the fuck outta you as always.”

The cloud in the air lifted momentarily as Renee joined them and praised Seth’s match and moveset.

Seth’s eyes kept straying to the other group, blissfully unaware of his presence at ringside. He needed to get out of there before anyone noticed him, he didn’t feel ready to face Ambrose, or Mox. Not now, when he was still savoring the glory of a great match and felt at the top of the world.

But of course, life wouldn’t grant him such a small wish. He tensed when Xavier shouted his name and waved energetically at him to approach the small group.

“Seth, duuude that was sweet,” he said offering his hand for a high five. “This is gonna be on Squared Circle tonight for sure, imagine you’ll get any offers? What a sick match man.”

Seth flashed him a cocky grin. “It felt good out there, dude,” he admitted sincerely, composing himself a little. He did his best to ignore the pair of blue eyes scanning him from head to toe. “Almost like the old times, wrestling Brodie is awesome.”

He flinched when Big E’s body suddenly blocked his vision, and two huge hands grasped his shoulders, shaking him enthusiastically.

“Tyler! You sure had your Booty’Os for breakfast this morning, what a show!” Everybody else laughed, and Seth couldn’t help but join them as he was let go. Big E’s gimmick was one of his favorites after all, and his pride was boasting knowing he’d entertained him.

“Can’t wrestle without your cereal and pancakes, can ya?” he grinned like a dork, forgetting about his worries and Mox for a moment. Just for a short moment.

“I can tell ya did,” Ambrose stepped forward, an amused smirk set on his lips and reflected in his eyes as he stepped forward and offered his hand.

Seth drew in a breath and hesitantly took his hand, shivering at the firm shake. When his gaze went back up, he noticed the different edge in Dean’s smirk. This wasn’t a moment to show weakness, so he did his best to man up and returned a cocky one. “Are you surprised?”

Dean let go of his hand and seemed to analyze him just like he did the previous morning at the show. “Nah,” he finally said with a chuckle. “I’m more surprised about the fact that you look better in person than in photos.”

Feeling his cheeks burn and willing his dick to not react to those words, Seth felt even more mortified when Xavier burst into laughter next to him. “Oh god, please give the guy a break. He’s got enough spending Valentine’s day alone as it is,” his tone was so evident and deliberate that it stung.

“But isn’t that why we all came along? So little Ty isn’t lonely on such an _important_ day?” Ambrose teased and they all laughed again, now joined by the Canadian connection as well. “Renee insisted so much that we came see you wrestle that we left the arena after our matches. She thinks ya wanted her to be your Valentine’s date.”

Renee rolled her eyes, ignoring the jab. “And you guys loved it,” she said with a bright grin before bursting into laughter, hands on her hips. “For fuck's sake, can’t a girl dream?”

“Don’t start, guys. I couldn’t say no the moment I heard you were back into a ring, dude,” Owens butted in before he directed an arrogant look to the others. “Told you guys, Tyler is a sight to behold when he climbs on the ropes. I fucking miss wrestling him.”

With his arms crossed over his chest, Ambrose nodded, his eyes scrutinizing Seth. “Indeed, quite good high-flying babyface material if you ask me.”

“Which is why you guys gotta listen to me when I propose any plans,” Renee huffed, hitting a playful punch on Dean’s shoulder.

Everybody kept talking animatedly, but Seth wasn’t listening. He could just stare awkwardly at Ambrose, biting his tongue.

He was dying to drag him out of there and ask the question that was eating away at him. Was he behind the Mox Tinder profile? What game was he playing? Could he just bend him over and fuck the living shit out of him?

But he didn’t dare.

Not with so many people around, not when he wasn’t sure if Dean was Mox, and could be creeped out by the question. What if he wasn’t Mox and this was all a fucking scheme none of them were aware of?

But then again, why the fucking flirting? It wasn’t Seth’s imagination this time, and he could tell by Xavier's behavior he noticed it too. No matter how much he thought of it, it didn’t make any sense.

“Hey, Seth! You okay?” Sami’s voice and hand on his back snapped him out of his thoughts.

Seth blinked at him, startled. “What?” he asked stupidly.

Sami snickered, patting his back a bit too hard. “We were saying since most of us are single, we should go celebrate our own anti-Valentines day. You up for some drinks? You’re off tomorrow anyway.”

Tilting his head slightly, Seth realized everybody else was staring at him, waiting for an answer. He shrugged, embarrassed and a bit annoyed by the attention. “Sure, why not? Let’s drink this fuckin’ Valentine’s day away,” he muttered uncomfortably. “Just wait ‘till I shower and get ready.”

He left them to finish their drinks as he stomped toward the locker room. Shedding his ring gear off before stepping into the shower, Seth realized that he would end up spending Valentine’s day with Mox.

It was a bizarre, twisted turn of events, but he was nonetheless getting something similar to a date with him. The universe surely was having too much fun mocking him. “Fuck this shit,” he mumbled to himself as the stream of hot water hit his face and his fingers curled around his dick for the third time that day.

Seth finished both masturbating and showering embarrassingly soon. Still, he felt a lot better once he stepped out of the stall, and rushed to get dressed to join the others before he regretted it.

He was determined to get some answers tonight and, if luck was on his side for once, some of the action he craved so much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Runs away from the angry mob* I'm sorry, I'm SORRY!!! Just like Corey Graves reminds Michael Cole on a weekly basis that there's no way to stop Braun Strowman, I keep warning you that I'm a heel writer. LOL
> 
> Has this chapter thrown in some light? We also have more characters hovering around, and more to come soon. Xavier also made an appearance, because he's probably the sunshine in this fic. Is it me or are things just even MORE confusing than before? Any theories you want to share with all of us? Whatever the case, I swear I know what I'm doing ;)
> 
> Do you think Seth will have any sanity left by the time he discovers whether Dean is Mox or not? Who the fuck is it if not him? What the hell is going on? Is this mystery EVER going to be revealed? Awww poor Seth!  
> This story is growing on me with every new chapter, I'm loving it! It makes me happy to no end seeing that so many people are enjoying it so much as well.
> 
> What are your thoughts on this? The only benefit I get out of writing this is my own enjoyment and (hopefully) yours, so please feel free to let me know what you think -comments are open to guests too-! What you liked, what you didn't or hated, what you think will happen or anything you want to share with me. I'm dying to know what you think so far!
> 
> Remember you can also drop me a line on Tumblr (Besaster) if you want to and that I keep posting previews, updates, and little random bits on the process of writing my stories. If you can't wait for the next update, that's the place to go to get a little taste until they come.
> 
> Thanks for staying with me and for all the love this story is receiving, see you VERY soon :)


	5. Chapter 5. Valentine's Special [ Part 2 ]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A hand tousling his hair interrupted the self-deprecating thoughts. Warmth settled in as a body took a seat by his side, the smell of tobacco slipping into Seth’s nostrils, increasing his dizziness. The rustle of the fabric of a jacket. A breathy and barely contained chuckle.  
> “Hey,” Seth didn’t want to open his eyes, didn’t want the touch to stop. That’s how desperate he was for human contact. Fuck, that voice. “You okay, buddy?”  
> It took him a moment to realize the raspy words were directed at him, who they belonged to. Seth had to muster all his dignity to move away from the pleasant touch. The world needed to stop spinning around behind his eyelids before he dared open his eyes.

Two hours and four Jack Daniels later, Seth was confident he’d made a mistake. Why couldn’t he use his brain? Why did he listen to his dick instead when it told him he’d get laid on Valentine’s Day?

There was no way going for some drinks with his friends _and_ the NXT gang plus Ambrose was a good idea. Nope.

The old rock pub was okay, but Seth didn’t have the mind to think about having fun. Not when all he could do was torture himself with the question ‘ _Who the fuck is Mox?_ ’.

Xavier, Sami, and Renee tried their best to make him interact with the others. But despite their attempts, Seth’s mind was somewhere else. It was going around in circles around Mox’s Tinder profile, Dean Ambrose, the whole damn situation.

Nothing made sense, no matter how much he thought about it.

He couldn’t stop thinking about how to approach Dean about the Mox profile without scaring the guy away. The NXT wrestler always had someone around, and Seth still had some self-respect. The last thing he wanted to do was humiliate himself any further than he probably had already. At this point, the belief that he was being played with grew stronger by the minute.

It fucking sucked. Seth had never been shy, rather the opposite. He was a cocky guy; incredibly confident in himself, his looks, and skills. He’d never found himself in such a situation, never felt so clueless about what to do next.

Whenever Ambrose reached out for his phone, Seth would stare at him. And by staring, he meant straining his neck until it hurt to try to peek and see if he saw a bright orange flame, anything that would confirm he used the Tinder app.

He would immediately feel his phone in his pocket, trying to make sure he didn’t miss any notifications. It was pathetic, he was aware of it, but Seth didn’t want to let go of his last thread of hope.

And every time nothing happened his ego and mood sunk lower. Why didn’t the motherfucker send him any signals? Or better, why hadn’t Dean dragged Seth to the toilets and fucked him into the next year yet?

It made him furious, to see everybody having fun except himself. Not being able to socialize like a perfectly normal person because his dick and his ego were in the middle of a fucking tantrum.

 

By the time Seth ordered his sixth whiskey and the few words he spoke were slurred, he’d already learned a few things.

Renee was going to debut soon as the new NXT backstage interviewer. That was irrelevant since it didn’t explain her relationship with Dean. Once Samoa Joe won the championship from Balor — Takeover spoilers be damned —, Kevin and Dean were going to feud to be the next title contender. Big E was as much of a dork outside of tv than inside. Cass was Dean’s roommate, and they didn’t live too far from him.

Besides that latest bit of information, which he felt like a stab in his balls — telling himself it was okay to be jealous since it was a human —, he hadn’t heard anything that could help him discern if Dean was Mox.

Or if he wasn’t but still would be happy to give him a good fuck anyway. That would be awesome. At that point, it was the only thing that he cared about. It would also be a reason to smile.

Fuck, yeah. Being pushed against the stall wall, nails tearing at his hips as his jeans were pushed down, fingers clutching at his hair roughly and tilting his head back. The rush, the dirty surroundings, the distant noises at the bar mixed with the unceasing stream of people going to the toilets. Scattered conversations he wouldn’t be paying attention to while he was fucked hard against the tiles.

Whatever blood was left in his brain abandoned the ship. Seth felt his vision blur slightly after drinking so fast, getting clumsier but still in control of his body. His mind was too busy fantasizing about having public sex so he gave up on it working at all.

At the same time, he felt less self-conscious as his intoxication grew. He wasn’t subtle about staring at Dean anymore.

A bright idea crossed his mind as he watched the other man joke with Renee, an arm casually draped around her shoulder. Fuck, would it feel nice to have one like that wound tightly around his waist, to tremble under teeth grazing his shoulder, a warm chest lightly sticking to his back.

“Fuck my life,” Seth huffed, shooting a not so discrete look down to his crotch. He released a relieved sigh once he saw everything was tucked correctly. No accusing tents revealed his thoughts.

His mind ran faster than he could follow, and his fantastic idea sounded better the second his brain picked on it. What if he sent a message and waited for Dean to check his phone? _That_ would confirm if he was Mox. He should have fucking thought of it earlier!

So Seth ignored whatever Sami was so excited about and fetched his phone, struggling to unlock it and open Tinder.

When he finally managed to do it — and to his dismay, he mistakenly Super Liked some ugly bastard —, he re-read his message several times once he sent it. Not before, because of reasons. Like alcohol clouding his brain.

_Da fuck think uu doinwhyare u dointhistome_

His eloquence after six drinks was astounding. Seth glanced at Dean, and his heart jumped to his throat. The asshole actually checked his phone, a cheeky grin stretching his now blurry lips. But so did Renee, Sami, Cass, Kevin, and Xavier at the same time. Unless everybody was Mox — idea he dismissed immediately, knowing a profile could only be used in one phone —, such strategy wasn’t going to work.

Seth cringed when faster than he could blink, Dean was on his face, chuckling lowly. He could tell Dean was also drunk after a shot competition against Cass, and had no clue whether it was a good thing or not.

“Duuude, who shat on our little Ty’s whiskey?” Bright blue eyes scrutinized Seth, too amused for his liking, his grin too wide. “What’s wrong, man? Ya can tell uncle Deano.”

Boy, did he feel dumb as he gaped at Dean, _hoping_. Just hoping. “Eehh- da hell, _Mox_?” Brilliant, Seth, fucking brilliant.

Dean spilled some of his drink as he bent over, his body rocking violently with laughter. “I haven’t used that name in- three years, dude,” he recalled, actually counting his fingers as he straightened up. Seth found it strangely charming. “Ya always drink like this? Don’t think it does you good, idiot. Don’t think ya gonna find yourself a Valentine’s fuck that way either.”

Calloused fingers slid through his hair, scratching his scalp in a friendly gesture. Seth’s eyelids and shoulders dropped as a broad — and foolish, he could tell — grin tugged hard at the corners of his lips.

“Are you always this dumb?” Dean’s voice was barely audible on top of the classic rock music, and Seth couldn’t help but laugh. “Ya purring like a fucking cat,” it carried as much surprise as mischief, sounded too close for comfort and too far from what Seth needed. “And you cackle like a damn chicken.”

That seemed to snap Seth out of his daydreaming state. Wait, was Ambrose touching him? And acting like nothing? While he was fucking purring? What the fuck was going on? What- chickens?! “The hell you doing? _Mox_?” He groaned, awkwardly removing the hand from his hair.

“Again? Holy shit,” another chuckle. Dean was leaning closer, looking more focused. “Ya okay? I think ya should slow down with the drinking.”

Scowling with all his might, Seth took a step backward. He needed to put some distance between them. It wasn’t easy to decide if he should punch the grin off Ambrose’s face, or tackle him on the floor until he got what he wanted.

He got this funny crawling feeling running up his thighs, poking his stomach. Straddling Dean sounded like a fantastic idea. _Nononono_. Seth finally had Dean’s attention; he couldn’t allow himself to get distracted now.

“A-Are you fucking serious?” Did he sound as pathetic as he felt? He was trying to sound angry for fuck’s sake. “Why ya playing with me like this?” Had he been less drunk, Seth would be hoping nobody heard his words.

Reddish blond curls bounced as Dean’s head cocked to the side and he shot Seth a weird glance. “Wait,” Ambrose drawled, one of his fingers tapping on his chin. “Why would I be playing with ya?” He gasped. ”Shit! Am I making you uncomfortable or something, dude? I thought we were joking around,” did Ambrose look confused? “Y’know, I flirt with ya, you roll your eyes, we all laugh, that’s it. I’m sorry if-”

All strength left Seth’s body as he listened to Dean’s words, was it all a joke? All the hopes he built were the result of something he was the only one not laughing at? Shit, and there he was, thinking he had a chance.

“Who said it was a joke for _me_? At which point did you get that fuckin’ idea?” He blurted, averting Dean’s gaze. “So, this _Mox_ thing, is it just a joke too?”

The energy between them was tense, and shame immediately invaded Seth. What the fuck was he doing? What had he just said? What if he wasn’t Mox and was suddenly freaked out or thought Seth had lost his mind? Fuck, he had to get out of there.

“Seth-?” Dean started, hesitant.

Seth looked up at him, hoping he was able to mask the storm breaking inside his mind. He saw Dean giving him a strange look, apparently focusing hard on the words he would pick. But all he did was open and close his mouth like a fish out of water.

Or perhaps Seth’s drunk imagination was making things up.

“Know what? I don’t give a shit. Gotta pee,” he turned around, unable to make out whatever Dean was mumbling. A part of him wished the NXT wrestler followed him to the toilets and screwed his brains out, but he drowned the image as he emptied his drink in one go.

 

Nobody followed him as he wobbled toward the toilet area. It struck Seth how drunk he was when he struggled to unbutton his jeans to pee. And by how drunk he meant utterly wasted.

Still, not drunk enough to embarrass himself. Not if he forgot about what had just happened with Ambrose. And the latest two hours. And the past few days. Not the match against Brodie Lee though, he wanted to remember that, it was awesome.

So yeah. Not deadly embarrassed yet.

After washing his hands and splashing cold water on his face, Seth stared at his reflection in the mirror. Regardless of how intoxicated he was, he could see he wasn’t his hot self anymore. Pale and anxious, his hair was a mess attempting to escape the low ponytail he’d tied it into.

It wasn’t the best look to get laid on Valentine’s Day, no need to swear on it.

With shaky fingers, he removed the elastic band, combing through the still damp locks before he tied them on a higher bun. Seth hoped he looked decent; he couldn't tell anymore.

All thoughts about his appearance vanished the moment he felt the distinct vibration of his phone in his pocket. “ _Seriously?!_ ” He snapped, yelling at the toilet’s door and barely avoiding bumping into a guy who was going into the room.

“Oh, fuck. Sorry man, I was jus-” Seth slapped his forehead, his cheeks burning with embarrassment. Was he going to get punched too?

Thankfully, the guy was more interested in emptying his bladder than on picking a fight. He just glared at Seth, grunted something through clenched teeth and went on to do his business.

 

The best thing about being intoxicated was not giving a shit about consequences while you’re at it.

Deep down, Seth _knew_ he was making a fool of himself. But he was drunk, desperate, and so angry the nerd in him thought he would turn into Hulk at any moment.

The fucking world should thank him for keeping his aggression down. He was doing his best to behave, not to lose his mind. Still, his self-control went down the drain the moment he read the new messages in the Tinder app.

_I don’t get why u so angry?_

_Can think of so many ways to cheer u up… :P_

_Want me to go there and show u_

Talk about adding insult to injury! Before he could even stop to think about it — leaving aside the fact that he hadn’t been able to use his brain properly for a while —, Seth wobbled out of the toilet area and rushed back to the bar.

Once he spotted the group, he pushed Cass out of the way, standing face to face with Ambrose. He didn’t care that everybody was looking at him, puzzled at his sudden outburst.

Seth couldn’t care less about the shocked, yet amused face Dean was making. “Da fuck ya playing at?” he slurred, his fist pushing the other man back.

Ambrose snorted, wrapping a hand around Seth’s wrist and gingerly pulling it away. “Dude, da fuck ya talking about? What’s wrong with you? Ya pickin’ the wrong fight.”

And Seth lost it. “Da fuck’s wrong with _me_? Why don’t ya fuckin’ explain _this_ to me?” A shaky hand shot forward, shoving his phone on Dean’s nose. “C’mon, since it’s so funny, explain this!!!”

Rubbing his nose and looking confused as hell, realization suddenly crossed Dean’s face. “Ya angry because you ran out of battery? How is that _my_ fucking fault, and people say I’m a lunatic?”

Fuck, and now Dean dared to laugh in his face openly.

Seth was seething. And then he noticed the screen was locked and black. “Fuck!!” Smooth as hell. He seriously hoped he wouldn’t remember any of this the next day. “No! This!!” He unlocked his phone and blindly tapped on it, again passing it to Ambrose, whose eyes narrowed as he brought the screen closer to his eyes. An instant later, he looked beyond shocked.

“Dude, what does this _‘chokemesoftly’_ website have to do with me?” he slurred slowly. “Ya tryin’ to tell me something? Oh, fuck. Wait,” he mumbled, bright blue eyes wide, drifting from the phone to Seth as his mouth hung agape. “You- Are you gay? Shit, dude! I didn't kno- I swear I wasn't trying to hum- I thought we were bonding, okay?”

Seth snatched the phone away from Dean's hands, cursing himself under his breath. He couldn’t be any dumber if he tried. “For fuck’s sake!!!” He fumbled with his phone, this time effectively opening the Tinder app.

Even in his state, Seth noticed the look Dean shot his friends way. He wished he knew the guy well enough to read that gaze, but anger took over way faster than his analytical skills. “Now tell me what ya gotta say about thi-” just as he lifted the phone in his hand, Xavier promptly rushed between them, blocking the NXT wrestler’s sight.

“Seth, what the hell are you doing, man? I can’t let you drink, you making shit up to fight Dean? Oh fuck, you were asking him for sex, and he told you to fuck off, is that it?” He said taking the phone from Seth’s hand and putting it back into his pocket.

Despite his protests and groans, Seth didn’t manage to escape Xavier’s hold. Shit, he was _so_ close to discovering the truth!

“I think you should go get some air before you do something you regret. Sorry Dean,” he said turning toward Ambrose with an apologetic grin. “Seth is an idiot who never knows when to stop drinking. Y’know how it is, he either picks fights and shit or tries to screw the first person he sees. Usually both,” he taunted, barely able to contain his laughter. To Seth’s dismay, Dean was laughing too.

Seth wanted to punch his roommate but knew he’d want to kiss him in the morning. Xavier was doing his best to stop him from fucking things up to the point of no return. And making fun of him while he was at it, that’s what friends are for. He served on a silver plate anyway.

Feeling his pocket to make sure his phone was really there, Seth scowled at Xavier but still accepted the arm wrapping around his shoulder as his friend gently urged him to walk away.

“Dude, what the hell?” Xavier hissed when they were far enough for nobody to hear them.

Seth’s shoulders slumped. “I got another message, this guy’s makin’ fun of me.”

Xavier let go of him, giving a puzzled look. “Did you see him write it?” he nodded when Seth shook his head. “So how do you know it’s him? You could just shut the fuck up and see if you can get into his pants anyway. But I have a feeling you blew up that possibility after the shit you just pulled out there. What were you thinking?”

“Ya shouldn’t have let me come here to start with,” sighing dramatically, Seth pushed him away. “Why the fuck did ya guys talk me into this Valentine’ Day bullshit? I was at the toilet, okay? I just can’t- I need-” he raised his arms in defeat. “Know what? You’re right I need some fuckin’ air,” was all he managed to say before he stole Xavier’s drink and stomped his way out of the pub.

He needed to be alone and put his thoughts in order, and the bench under the window looked like the perfect place to do so.

 

It was nice outside, and Seth felt comfortable sitting under the window, the back of his head tilted against it and his eyes closed under the night breeze. He was too drunk to be cold.

Slightly sobered by the change in temperature, shame washed over his shaky body. At some point, his phone vibrated again, but Seth couldn’t bring himself to even look at it.

He didn’t know how long he’d been out there; if anyone cared about it or not. Would they be laughing at him? Did he fuck up everybody’s mood? Was there any room to humiliate himself any further tonight?

A hand tousling his hair interrupted the self-deprecating thoughts. Warmth settled in as a body took a seat by his side, the smell of tobacco slipping into Seth’s nostrils, increasing his dizziness. The rustle of the fabric of a jacket. A breathy and barely contained chuckle.

“Hey,” Seth didn’t want to open his eyes, didn’t want the touch to stop. That’s how desperate he was for human contact. Fuck, that voice. “You okay, buddy?”

It took him a moment to realize the raspy words were directed at him, who they belonged to. Seth had to muster all his dignity to move away from the pleasant touch. The world needed to stop spinning around behind his eyelids before he dared open his eyes.

After a few blinks, he found himself staring into Dean’s eyes. The NXT wrestler wasn’t mocking him anymore; he looked concerned while flashing a hesitant, visibly intoxicated smile.

Shaking his head weakly, Seth was unable to look away from him. The pinkish flush on his pale skin didn’t make him any less attractive; it just made his eyes stand out more. Fuck, he must be drunk as fuck if he was thinking that kind of sappy shit!

“I’m sorry, just drank too much, okay?” He said softly. “Ya must think I’ve some creepy fucker. Lost my mind in there dude. I-” Seth took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, okay? Things have been rough, and I shouldn’t have come tonight.”

“Nah, don’t worry,” Dean didn’t let him continue, shrugging it off. “I think I get it now,” he said raising his glass, urging Seth to toast. “Took me long enough! You’re one of those guys who get all moody when they see everybody getting laid on Valentine’s Day except yourself, are ya?”

Seth couldn’t be any more confused. What the fuck was Dean talking about now? “I don’t get it,” he groaned, trying to build his defenses up before the other man tore them down again. “And no, I’m not! But it’s easy for ya to say, you’ll be going home with Renee later.”

Dean laughed at that. “What?! Duuuuude that ship sunk years ago! She hasn’t let me fuck her for years!” he nudged Seth with an elbow. “What, ya jealous? Want me all for yourself?”

Scowling angrily, Seth didn’t even bother to reply to that. Of course, he was fucking jealous. He didn’t give a shit about who else Dean fucked as long as he got some too though. “Don’t flatter yourself,” he said with as much dignity as he could. “You’ve been the one flirting with me nonstop since you met me at the store.”

Dean didn’t laugh at that. “Enough with the bullshit. What were you trying to do back there, Seth?” Dean asked, this time serious.

Sighing heavily, Seth took his phone out and pressed the button to unlock it, but to his horror, he’d run out of battery for real this time. “Fuck!” he hit it against his thigh. “I can’t show you!”

Dean burst into laughter so hard he choked. “Oh god, you’re ridiculous,“ he said between coughs. “Can’t you tell me instead? I swear I don’t bite, dude,” the fucking tease leaned closer to Seth’s ear, the caress of his breath giving him goosebumps. There was something coarse from the coughing yet still seductive in him. “But I’ll be happy to if you don’t tell me what the fuck you’re on about. I’m open like that. Is that what you want, _Tyler_?”

Seth shuddered, unable to shut his mouth before it ran without his permission. “It’s Valentine’s Day,” he slurred pathetically, unable to raise his voice as his eyes met Dean’s again. “I’d rather ya fuck me instead.”

Apparently, luck had been by his side for once, because Dean looked confused. “What? Dude, you’re so shitfaced I can’t even understand ya,” what the hell? Was Ambrose now upset?

Defeated, Seth finally admitted to himself that Dean wasn’t Mox. “You have no fucking clue of what’s going on, do you? I just-” the lightbulb suddenly sprang to life in his brain. “I wanted to show you one of my old matches. Thought that way I’d impress you.”

Ambrose feigned shock. “Oh god, I’m so flattered!” he chuckled, his eyes carrying a hint of mischief. “But why would you want to impress me?”

Seth groaned and stomped on Dean’s foot. “Fuck you,” he muttered, smirking at the sight of the other wrestler scrunching his face in pain. Dean wasn’t Mox, but he deserved the pain.

“Fuck! That hurt, asshole! I thought you wanted to wrestle me, not fuck me,” he said holding his foot with his free hand.

That was it. It was bound to happen at some point, so Seth finally allowed himself to snap. He abruptly stood up and pushed Dean hard against the window, not caring about the noise of their glasses breaking on the floor.

Dean wasn’t Mox, but Seth didn’t care, he wanted answers. He needed to release his frustration with somebody, and at this point, it wasn’t even a sexual thing. He was losing his mind, and it had to stop.

Pining the other man against the window and leaning so close he could feel his breath on his face, Seth spat his words. “If you aren’t Mox, who the fuck is playing with me? I want answers and I want them now!”

Thankfully, Dean seemed to be in more control than him. Seth was grateful to whatever deity he didn’t believe in keeping the guy calm and collected; because everything about himself screamed aggression. It was a miracle he hadn't been punched in the face yet. 

Dean just blinked at him, the wheels of his mind spinning inside his eyes. Or maybe it was the world spinning in Seth’s head, because he felt dizzy and his knees threatened to give up.

“Seth?” Dean asked hesitantly, his hands holding onto Seth’s elbows, holding him steady. “I think I know what’s going on.”

Wait, did he just say he knew what was going on? Seth wanted to be enlightened, but he suddenly felt sick and had to let go of Dean. He barely had time and reflexes to turn to his side and empty his stomach. Talk about trying to keep some dignity.

The hand on his back felt heavy, but the one massaging the nape of his neck felt like the most comforting thing ever.

Impossibly ashamed and feeling ready to pass out, Seth didn’t know how long he spent like that, trying to catch his breath while Dean helped him stay up. He scrunched his eyes shut, wishing everything was a nightmare he would wake up from in a matter of minutes.

“Hey, buddy,” Dean said softly, again ruffling his hair. “Don’t worry, one day it’s you, it'll be me in an hour- Why don’t you just call it a night Seth? I’ll get you a taxi, okay?”

Dean wasn’t Mox, but he was helping him anyway. He wasn’t judging him and didn’t seem disgusted by Seth either. Without daring to open his eyes, he nodded weakly. “Can I kiss you at least?”

“Fuck, no. Ya just threw up all over my feet,” Ambrose chuckled, and Seth groaned when the hand on his hair let go. He could feel Dean fumble with his jacket, probably using an app to call a taxi. “Tell ya what, go home, and if you’re alive tomorrow, I’ll pick you up after lunch to go to the PC to wrestle. Then you tell me all about that Mox shit. Sounds good?”

Seth felt ready to pass out, wasn’t even sure where he was anymore, but he didn’t care. He turned around and rested his forehead on Dean’s shoulder, desperately trying to hold onto him for a moment. He could blame it on being dizzy. “Sh- I fucked up- You’re not Mox,” he hiccuped pathetically. “I thought ya wanted-”

Dean slowly drew away from him, chuckling lowly. “Enough! I’m not in the mood for depressed drunks now!” he patted Seth’s shoulder like it burned. “Y’know _Tyler_ , I may not be your Mox, bu-” he suddenly looked up. “That’s your taxi, let’s get ya home safe!”

Forcing himself to keep his mouth shut, Seth let Ambrose drag him into the taxi without resistance.

“Don’t worry dude; we’ll laugh at this tomorrow. I’ll tell the others you wanted to go home. I’ll give ya a call tomorrow, okay? Just tell this man where you live, I'll be charged later.”

Seth just blinked at him as he shut the taxi door. He felt like he didn’t move at all during the ride, and startled when the car stopped and the driver informed him they had arrived and everything was paid for.

Stumbling into the building and feeling slightly better, he knew it could have been worse. For starters, Dean could have gotten angry for real and beat the shit out of him. He didn’t seem too bothered about Seth’s bluntness or his desperate attempts to get into his pants.

He knew he wouldn’t get any calls the next day too, that Dean had just tried to be nice to get him off his hair. To give him some comfort to avoid having to stand a depressed drunk. Seth couldn’t shake the warmth of his touch away though, the gentle fingers on his bun, the muscular body he clung to. Fuck, did he feel toned and and strong and-

Ignoring his dick, Seth washed his teeth and mouth to get rid of the overpowering taste of vomit before he dragged his feet toward his bedroom. He had enough presence of mind to plug his phone into the charger at the bedside table and did his best to get rid of his clothes.

Feeling incredibly tired, he turned his phone on before he crawled under his sheets and turned the lights off.

Seth’s heard the vibration the moment he closed his eyes. Sleepy and dizzy, he groaned but still picked it, curious to see who the hell had messaged him. A part of him hoped it was _Mox_ , to see how far whoever that was would go with his bullshit.

His eyes snapped fully open when he saw he had messages from Xavier, Sami, and an unknown number. He tapped on that one, gasping when he read the words.

_Renee and Cass are puking too fuckin chain effect haha_

_I may not be your Mox guy but I wanna know_

_Still wanna hang out tomorrow?_

Seth closed his eyes again, fighting a new wave of nausea as his heart sped up.

Before he passed out, the last thing that crossed his mind was that Dean wasn’t Mox, but he kind of liked him better like this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I gotta admit this chapter is far from my best, and it came way later than expected, but it's finally up! I hope you still enjoyed it.
> 
> So, first of all, now we know for sure Dean isn't Mox, which I'm sure most of you suspected already. But if he's not Mox, who the fuck then and why are they doing this? What the hell is going on? Does Dean really know or did he just try to comfort Seth?  
> We also discovered Seth is a depressive and angry drunk who doesn't make any sense in that state. But don't worry, humor will be back in chapter 6 and he will be back to his usual self as well. By the way, we're getting closer to the end of this story! It will be around 10 chapters long at most.
> 
> BTW, my dear Cecil, deananseths in Tumblr, made Instagram accounts inspired by the fic, go take a look at them if you haven't already, it's brilliant! http://deanandseths.tumblr.com/post/171145003368/inspired-by-besasters-beautiful
> 
> What are your thoughts on this? The only benefit I get out of writing this is my own enjoyment and (hopefully) yours, so please feel free to let me know what you think -comments are open to guests too-! What you liked, what you didn't or hated, what you think will happen or anything you want to share with me.
> 
> Remember you can also drop me a line on Tumblr (Besaster) if you want to and that I keep posting previews, updates, snippets, and little random bits of my writing process.
> 
> Thanks for staying with me, see you VERY soon :)


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lesson number one: Dean Ambrose wasn’t Mox. If he was, he was also a great actor and a motherfucking piece of shit.
> 
> Lesson number two: he couldn’t be trusted not to make a damn fool out of himself. Not even if his life depended on it. 
> 
> There could be a third one about how — despite his prayers to a god he didn’t believe in —, he would remember every little embarrassing detail with vivid clarity the more he wanted to forget. But honestly, at this point, he should have seen that one coming. How was that popular saying? Fool me once and it's on you; fool me twenty times and I won't have anyone left to blame but my stupid self.

Seth could try and be poetical about it; be mature and stop obsessing any further over is botched Valentine’s Day escapade. But fuck it. He'd extracted two valuable pieces of knowledge his hungover mind wouldn’t let go of the next morning.

_Lesson number one:_ Dean Ambrose wasn’t Mox. If he was, he was also a great actor and a motherfucking piece of shit.

_Lesson number two:_ he couldn’t be trusted not to make a damn fool out of himself. Not even if his life depended on it. 

There could be a third one about how — despite his prayers to a god he didn’t believe in —, he would remember every little embarrassing detail with vivid clarity the more he wanted to forget. But honestly, at this point, he should have seen that one coming. How was that popular saying? _Fool me once and it's on you; fool me twenty times and I won't have anyone left to blame but my stupid self._

When he woke up, it was probably around noon and his room, to put it nicely, felt stuffy. Sweaty and gross under the warm duvet, Seth entertained the thought that all the memories assaulting his mind had been nothing but mere side effects of a drunk dream. None of it had happened.

He hadn’t vomited all over Dean Ambrose’s shoes; hadn’t mumbled a pathetic ‘ _I’d rather ya fuck me instead_ ’. Seth hadn’t made any scenes, and absolutely did not try to confront Dean about the Tinder profile that had sent both his mind and dick out of control lately.

Those thoughts helped him wobble out of bed and move toward the bathroom. 

Sunlight filtered through the window, casting some shadows as he emptied his bladder and washed the clamminess off his face and armpits. He looked like crap, the dark rings under his eyes accentuated by his tiredness.

On his way back to the bedroom, Seth realized Xavier’s door was open and the bed untouched, which meant the bastard had found himself some chick to fuck at the pub. Must have been a good one if he hadn't made it back home yet. 

There was no point in denying his jealousy. It felt like asking the universe for a nice dick up his ass every once in a while was the equivalent to asking for all the gold in the world. It should be simple enough to concede that, shouldn't it?

Blaming everything on a drunk nightmare felt like a huge relief though. Waking up to such memories had sent Seth into a spiral of panic he didn't feel like dwelling on. So he felt kind of grateful that for once, everything had just been a stupid dream.

 

That is, until he checked his phone for the first time and the damn fucking device had to crush his hopes. That’s what appliances seemed to do to Seth nowadays. Outsmart him, try to make him jealous and point out reminders of his lack of dignity.

When he pressed the menu button and the screen lit up, there were six message notifications from Xavier, four from Sami, one from an unknown number, and a last one from Tinder. From motherfucking Mox to make things better.

Breathing raggedly, he unlocked the device and decided to start by getting something he could deal with out of the way. So he first opened Xavier’s messages.

_Maaaan wtf happened? You left without a word_

_You ok? I’m worried Dean said you puked_

His roommate's remaining messages had been sent hours later. He wondered if Dean was still with Xavier by then, or if he'd been there at all.

_Hey won’t make it home hooked up with a British hottie_

_Dean asked for your number btw_

_Maybe you have a chance of fucking him after all_

_See you later call me if you need me bye!_

With a loud groan, he plopped onto his back on the bed, bringing the phone close to his eyes as he typed a response. Okay, summarizing: Xavier got laid, Dean Ambrose wanted his number. So far so good. That didn't mean the number had been passed and it didn't turn his nightmares into reality.

_I fuckin hate u ok? Why u always get laid and I dont? Gotta tell me ur secret u fucker_

_U gonna be back for lunch? Gonna order Chipotle_

Done. Seth had dealt with his roommate and, other than envying the hell out of him, the world was still a beautiful place. His hopes were still intact. He felt ready to move onto Sami. His colleague's bitter experience lifted his spirits just enough. 

Now he knew he wasn’t the only one dealing with a good dose of self-pity and disappointment. Nobody could accuse Seth of not being there for his friends, together during the good and the rough times.

_U alright dude? Got me worried_

_U won’t believe what happened made a move on Renee_

_Feel silly now she said no_

_Anyway gonna sleep gotta work tomorrow let’s repeat again sometime see u monday_

Now that was shocking. Sami, while awkward and all over the place most of the time, was also a great guy and wasn’t that bad looking. He was a ginger though. And Canadian. But so was Renee so it should add to his friend's cause, not subtract. 

Sami was also as shy as they can be when it came to flirting and trying to get laid, and he was genuinely surprised he dared to approach Renee like that.

Seth couldn’t quite relate to his colleague’s insecurity when it came to trying their hand at someone as beautiful as Renee — his issue was rather nobody being good enough for his standards —, but had to admit to himself he was becoming insecure. At this point, he feared he’d never get laid again.

Even worse, he felt like he wouldn’t even know what to do if he did anymore. Could a person forget how to suck a dick? Would it hurt to take it like it was his first time all over again? He hoped for his sake not to find himself in any of those scenarios.

Baffled, Seth uttered a whine and covered his eyes with a forearm, his phone dangling against his cheek. “Wait-” it hit him. Did Xavier mention giving his number to Dean Ambrose? “Oh, shiiiiiiiit-”

He rolled onto his stomach, burying his forehead on the mattress as he kicked furiously.

Sami’s drama forgotten, Seth took several shallow yet energizing breaths, propping on an elbow before he dared go back into the messaging app. He could do it. 

 

For fuck's sake, he'd gone through a lot during his thirty years living on Earth. Had recovered from a career-ending injury, had worked more jobs than he could list, had gotten back to his feet after a devastating depression. There was no way in hell he couldn't deal with this. Feeling brave, Seth willed his nerves to calm down before he finally tapped on the unknown number.

_U alive?_

There had been three messages before that, the ones he thought he imagined reading before passing out. But it had been a nightmar- “Oh, fuck,” he muttered. “No no no no-”

Nope. There was no mistake. That was Dean Ambrose, or who knew at this fucking point of the story; things just got more fucked up with every passing moment.

It meant that indeed, Seth had made a damn fool out of himself the previous night. He’d tried to confront Dean about the Mox Tinder profile and failed miserably. And to end on a high note, had vomited all over his feet.

Because that’s how you get into people’s pants. You insult them, scream at them like a lunatic ass, beg them to fuck you. And when all those fail, you puke on their shoes and ask for a kiss.

“Way to go, Seth, what will you do next?” he slapped his forehead, letting go of the phone and staring at the words. It did nothing to give him the answers he craved about what to do with his fucking life. And it hurt.

Truth be told, Xavier also wrote about him _maybe_ having a chance. 

Had it been a different moment in his life, he would have been certain nobody would have said no to his looks and charms. Hell, had it been another moment in his life, he would've been shocked if anyone had refused him. 

It wasn’t so easy now. With his self-confidence at its lowest level, it hurt to feel worked in this way. Seth wasn't used to this sort of bullshit.

And then again, there was also a message from Mox, so what the fuck was going on? 

There was no way he was going to humiliate himself any further by replying to who he guessed was Dean to then find a message from Mox saying ‘ _Hey, it was me all along, you’re THAT stupid_ ’.

For once, Seth had enough common sense to refrain himself from saying something he might regret and pressed the menu button to exit the app.

 

He didn’t dare open Tinder, afraid of what would lie ahead on the new message. Did whoever was behind the Mox profile know he met Dean? If they did, what the fuck were they trying to achieve? What was their intention?

Dean didn’t seem to know about the whole thing; so was it something against Seth instead? Was the whole ordeal just a cruel coincidence and he'd been an unlucky bastard? One whose Tinder profile just happened to pop up at the wrong moment to receive a Super Like?

Sometimes, coincidences could happen, but this seemed too far-fetched for it to be the case. 

The wisest thing would be to simply ignore the message, uninstall the app and forget about it. After all, he _may_ still have a chance to get Ambrose to fuck him, which could be thrown down the drain if he got overly paranoid over a fake Tinder profile.

But who was he fucking trying to kid? Seth was too impatient and curious to let it go now, he needed to resolve the fucking mystery. So he took a deep breath and opened the app.

_U alive?_

“Motherfuckin’ piece of shhhh-” Seth’s jaw dropped before he could finish cursing, his brain unable to cope with the shock. He clutched the phone with trembling hands and just blinked at the screen.

He suddenly felt like instead of a small electronic device designed to communicate with other people, he held a bomb in his hands. Or perhaps he just needed to vomit again.

As carefully as he imagined somebody would manipulate one of those, he pressed the menu button and went back to the regular messaging app. He flinched when, as feared, the identical message from the unknown number stared back at him.

It had to be a fucking joke.

“Fuck!” he snapped, switching back to the Tinder app. “Fuck!! _What the actual fuck_!? What the fucking hell is going on?!”

He was startled by Xavier's voice behind him, dropping his phone and interrupting the death threats he was tapping on the app. Seth had been so busy losing his mind he hadn’t heard him arrive.

“What the fuck, Seth?” concern tightened his friend's features. “Man, I could hear your screams from the street. Would’ve thought somebody broke in and tried to kill you if I didn’t know you. I was so damn happy and satisfied ‘till I heard you,” he huffed with a mocking pout.

“For fuck’s sake don’t rub it in,” Seth groaned and clutched to his hair, his nostrils flaring as he struggled to get his breathing under control. “I think I’ve lost my fuckin’ mind, Xavier. Check that out,” he muttered, blindly pointing toward his phone. He didn't even want to look at it.

Xavier's face was a poem, impossibly confused. “What now?” he approached the bed but stopped dead on his tracks. "Holy shit, gonna open the window," Seth felt his cheeks heat at that before Xavier sat by his side. “Ambrose? Mox? Someone new you haven't told me about?”

Seth shook his head. “Just fuckin’ look at it and tell me what ya see. Messages. Tinder.”

Xavier reached out for the phone and tapped on it. Those seconds felt like hours to Seth. When their gazes met, he looked lost. “Unknown number, ah, that’s Dean! Gave him your number last night. Wha-”

Seth interrupted him. “Now look at Tinder,” he instructed.

“Da fuck?”

“Exactly!” Seth exploded. “What the fuck is going on?!” he bounced off the bed and began pacing around the room. “Do you understand anything? ‘Cause I fuckin’ don’t.”

Xavier appeared lost in thought for a while, something Seth would be thankful for in another situation but not now.

“What the hell do I do now? How- What do I do?” he threw his arms up. “I wanna find that motherfucker fuckin’ Ambrose and beat the shit outta him. Ya see the same as me, right? Have I lost my mind? You’re the psychologist here, tell me how the fuck should I deal with this.”

“This is nuts, man. It doesn’t make any sense,” Xavier drawled.

“ _Really_?” Seth glared at his friend like he was the one to blame for the fact somebody was playing him. “It took you this long to realize that?”

“Hey,” Xavier stood up, the phone still in his hand. “Not my fucking fault, dude,” he scolded before a cocky smirk replaced his scowl. “Got an idea though.”

His words seemed to shut Seth’s brain off. “What,” he mumbled, his eyes darting toward his phone as Xavier tapped on it. “Lemme see, what’cha doing?”

 

He snorted when Xavier handed him the phone back and read the messages he’d just sent on his behalf to the unknown number. Seth had to admit Xavier was just too good when it came to copying his mobile writing style.

_Hey man sorry about that it was fun though_

_Still alive did it end well for u?_

_Wanna hang out or u changed ur mind?_

_Xavier says you wanted to wrestle some, he’s in too_

“Da fuck, dude? Now you want me to meet him? I don’t wanna see his face unless I’m rearranging it with my fists,” this was an unnecessary add-on to his puzzlement.

“Nah, I got a better idea,” Xavier laughed maniacally. “Let’s play stupid and get to the bottom of it.”

Seth wasn’t convinced at all; he had no clue of what his friend planned. All he knew was that if it didn’t involve beating the shit out of that Dean Ambrose, or Mox, he wasn’t in. “What do you have in mind?”

“Just wait and see, you’re gonna love it.”

It didn’t make Seth feel any better, nor did it help diminish his anger. But Xavier was his friend and therapist, so it couldn’t make things worse for him, could it?

At this point, he just wanted to know the truth.

As he pressed the menu button to exit the messaging app and open a food delivery one, a new message notification from the messaging app popped up at the top of his screen. He anxiously tapped on it, and several more messages materialized before his eyes.

_Heyy sure dude Im game u talkin to a pro_

_U guys come to the NXT gym at 3 ill send u the location_

_KO E and a couple more guys are comin too_

_See u later!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Waaaay later than expected (a lot later, but if you follow me outside of AO3 you know I'm trying to take life easy and can't do much more than I am) chapter 6 is up! Excuse me if the editing is sloppier than usual, but this has been finished and edited under the flu, and I struggled quite a bit to get it done.
> 
> With that said, what the hell is going on? FFS didn't we establish it's NOT Dean in the last chapter? How do we explain this? What do you think it's happening? Did Dean trick Seth or is there anything none of us sees coming? What is Xavier planning, how will Seth react when he's face to face with Dean? And most importantly, WHO THE HELL IS MOX?!?! I wanna know what you think, so please share your thoughts with me! 
> 
> You know the only benefit I get out of writing this is my own enjoyment and (hopefully) yours, so please feel free to let me know what you think -comments are open to guests too-! What you liked, what you didn't or hated, what you think will happen or anything you want to share with me. 
> 
> Remember you can also drop me a line on Tumblr (Besaster) if you want to and that I keep posting previews, updates on this and my other WIPs or incoming fics, and little random bits on my writing process.
> 
> Thanks for staying with me, see you VERY soon :)


End file.
